Macron backs down on Taiwan for China's support on Ukraine, experts say

French President Emmanuel Macron at the University of Amsterdam, April 12, 2023. [VOA]

French President Emmanuel Macron has stunned allies by saying that Europe must reduce its dependency on the United States and avoid getting dragged into a confrontation between China and the U.S. over Taiwan, a position experts say is calibrated to persuade China to mediate the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

At a news conference during a state visit in the Netherlands on Wednesday, Macron emphasized that France's position on Taiwan has not changed, and Paris favors the status quo for the island.