European countries need to reduce their “dual dependencies” on the US and China, Emmanuel Macron has warned, as he sketched out his vision of an empowered “wider Europe” on the first day of a historic state visit, reports The Guardian.
The French president addressed several hundred MPs and guests at the start of a three-day state trip – the first state visit of a European leader since Brexit.
He used his speech to paint a picture of a new Europe beyond the boundaries of the 27-member EU bloc, with France and Britain at its core, only briefly referencing his disappointment at Britain’s exit from the EU.
Macron lavished praised on his British hosts and promised the two countries would cooperate more closely than ever on migration, with Keir Starmer pushing for a “one-in, one-out” deal that would result in some asylum seekers being returned to France. And he called again for a youth mobility scheme, to widespread applause in the hall, including from Labour ministers.
“We will have to de-risk our two countries from the excessive dependencies on both the US and China,” he said. “If we still depend on both China and the US, I think we have a clear view of our future and the future of our children.
“On one side [China], other capacities and other subsidies are clear threats [to] fair trade, and they are destabilising a lot of value chain and creating new dependencies. On the other side [the US], the trade war is clearly an explicit decision not to be compliant any more with WTO and this commerce we loved until now.
“If we want to build a sustainable future for all children [we have] to de-risk our economies and our societies from these dual dependencies.”
Macron’s speech formed one of the centrepieces of his three-day visit to the UK – the first for a French president since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008. The day was filled with pomp and ceremony, including a welcome by King Charles at Windsor Castle and a trip in a horse-drawn coach to inspect a military guard of honour.
Read more of this report from The Guardian.