A regular feature of state visits is the exchange of gifts. The gifts that French President Emmanuel Macron presented to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Élysée on Monday had an unmistakable symbolic meaning. Maybe not so much the romantic work Lesson Contemplations from 1856 by Victor Hugo or the luxurious handbag by Chanel. But certainly the several bottles of top quality cognac that Xi was offered.
After China started an investigation into ‘dumping’ of cognac on the Chinese market in January, Macron, standing next to Xi, was pleased to report that higher import duties on cognac have been avoided for the time being. Mission accomplished. Because in the meantime, the EU investigation into dumping of electric cars, solar panels and batteries from China, among other things, continues for good reasons. “We will defend our companies, we will defend our economies,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said forcefully.
Their joint action in Paris marks the new assertive attitude of the European Union. This attitude may take some getting used to in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, but it is the only correct one. The world is changing rapidly: traditional power blocs are being challenged by rapidly emancipating new players. It goes without saying that the EU, in order not to be crushed, must act as much as possible as a single bloc in this multipolar context. The prospect of an even more inward-looking United States only makes this need even greater. A better trade balance with China is essential.
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Credit where credit is due: it was Macron who, in 2017, just after his election, launched the concept of ‘European sovereignty’, thus putting the debate about the future of the European project back on the agenda. Europe must work better together to become less dependent on the US, he said at Sorbonne University. Industrial policy and defense cooperation, two French classics, were the most concrete pillars at the time. Europe, Macron said in his providential speech, must “protect.”
Last month, Macron was back at the Sorbonne to take stock. Although it has not been possible to make the EU more democratic, he acknowledged, progress has been made in the area of sovereignty. This was seen during the pandemic, when EU member states jointly purchased vaccines and set up a fund to boost the economy. And this can be seen in the collective aid for Ukraine. Macron rightly noted that even most national populist parties no longer dare to propose departure from the EU in their current European campaigns.
Yet Macron’s tone was worrying. Europe is “mortal,” he said. Protecting is not enough, Europe itself must also be protected. Because those same parties can still erode the Union from within. The new revival the president is moving “too slowly”, which puts the EU at risk of marginalization.
In this context, Macron was wise not to give Xi in Paris the opportunity to break up the EU. By discussing the visit with Chancellor Scholz and inviting Von der Leyen to the table, he showed that Xi mainly visited the EU, and not specifically France – leaving aside the bottles of cognac. Europe is “not a vassal of the US”, he said earlier at the Sorbonne and can establish partnerships with “third countries”. That must have also appealed to the Chinese. But symbolism is not enough. It is up to all member states, and in particular the forming parties in The Hague, not to ignore Macron’s warning about the vulnerability of the EU.
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