After a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron made a 'brave statement' about his relationship with the United States.
Speaking to Politico, Macron insisted that Europe needs to reduce its dependence on the United States.
During the interview, he once again expressed his lofty ambition to transform Europe into a 'strategic autonomy' that should be led by France.
He added that Macron believed that Europe could become a 'third superpower' that might put aside the West and China.
In addition, he also urged the countries of the European Union (EU) to avoid getting involved in the escalating tension between China and the US regarding the Taiwan issue.
According to Macron, the big risk Europe faces is being trapped in a crisis that is not its own, which prevents it from building its strategic autonomy.
Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party also support Macron's concept of strategic autonomy, where Beijing officials regularly refer to the term in dealings with European countries.
Macron and Xi Jinping's meeting was initially to urge China to help end the war in Ukraine. However, the opposite happened.
Meanwhile, hours after Macron left Guangzhou, Beijing launched a major military exercise around the island of Taiwan.
The exercise was a response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen's 10-day diplomatic tour of Central American countries, including her meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
