During his recent state visit to India, French President Emmanuel Macron gave India very high expectations for further cooperation on security issues, according to Dong Yifan, a researcher at the Pangoal Institute, an independent Beijing-based think tank.
Macron is believed to be attempting to play a part in the Indo-Pacific strategy of the US, but Dong said this will be very hard. Domestically, Macron still needs to focus on reforms to firm up his position. In terms of diplomacy, France’s focus will remain on Europe, especially Germany, as well as on the US, meaning it is unlikely Paris will invest more resources in the Asia-Pacific, Dong said.
However, China will still be of greater importance to France and the two countries share a common understanding on global governance. As China and France have increasingly frequent trade exchanges, Dong said, there is reason to believe that France will make wise choices as it deals with its relationships with both China and India.
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