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☆ The EU's divided approach on China might be coming to an end — and the U.S. is unlikely to be happy about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in early April. Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesEuropean Union officials on Tuesday called for a new and joint approach toward China, following French President Emmanuel Macron's controversial comments on Taiwan earlier this month. This has resulted in a divided approach toward China. watch nowShe contended that the relationship with China "is too important for us not to define our own European strategy and principles." For Europe, the intention is to reduce and avoid risks, rather than a complete disengagement from China.

☆ France's Macron promises government action plan in next 100 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a televised speech two days after signing into law plans to increase the retirement age by two years to 64, Macron said he wanted his prime minister to propose measures on working conditions, law and order, education and health issues. "On July 14, we must be able to take stock," Macron said, referring to Bastille Day, France's national day, often a milestone in French politics. "We have ahead of us 100 days of appeasement, unity, ambition and action for France," he said. Macron gave few details about the roadmap he wanted the government to work on but said it should improve working conditions and also tighten immigration laws. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Macron was "stuck in a parallel world".

☆ Macron addresses France amid anger over pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he heard people's anger over raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, but insisted that it was needed. In an televised address to the nation, Macron said "this changes were needed to guarantee everyone's pension," after he enacted the pension law on Saturday. Macron acknowledged anger over increasing prices and jobs that don't "allow too many French people to live well." Before Macron's speech, opponents to the reform called for people to bang pots and pans across France during his address. Macron, who just enacted the protest-igniting pension changes, was expected to provide details about his domestic policies in the coming months.

☆ French court to rule on pension age rise as nationwide protests rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Riot police guard the Constitutional Council building during a demonstration against pension reform in central Paris, France, on Thursday, April 13, 2023. French unions are held strikes and protests on Thursday against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, seeking to maintain pressure on the government before a ruling on the law's constitutionality. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFrance's Constitutional Council will rule on the legality of President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension system reforms on Friday, as nationwide protests against raising the retirement age rumble on. While some hope the Constitutional Council will fully reject the bill, many commentators say that is unlikely. Demonstrators march along the vieux port during the 12th day of nationwide strike on pension reform on April 13, 2023 in Marseille, France.

[1/2] Protesters hold placards depicting French President Emmanuel Macron during a demonstration as part of the 12th day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 13, 2023. It would also need to find its way through parliament, where Macron has lost his working majority and debate has become increasingly fractious. The conservative Les Republicains' (LR) party, which the government had hoped it would be able to count on for support, has emerged deeply divided from the pension reform saga. "There are gaping wounds in the country," LR lawmaker Aurélien Pradié, who rebelled against the pro-pension reform party line on the reform, said on Twitter. So while the pension reform is on the statute books, Macron has much political capital still to regain.

☆ French pension protesters flood LVMH headquarters in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Security members stand in front of the headquarters of luxury retailer Louis Vuitton after a protest action French SNCF workers, members of French CGT and Sud Rail labour unions in Paris as part of the 12th day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Bart BiesemansPARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - Scores of French workers protesting against pension reforms flooded into the Paris headquarters of luxury group LVMH (LVMH.PA) on Thursday, calling for the rich to contribute more to financing the state pension. France's labour unions have been staging strikes and marches since mid-January in protest against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to raise the legal retirement age. The government says it is necessary to raise the retirement age for most workers to balance the pension budget in years to come. Reporting by Bart Biesemans and Ingrid Melander, writing by Mimosa Spencer; editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France to witness 12th nationwide strike against Macron's pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Protesters hold a drawing depicting a portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron during a demonstration as part of the tenth day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform in Paris, France, March 28, 2023. "I'm not that optimistic about the Constitutional Council's decision," far-right leader Marine Le Pen told BFM TV, who is against the pension bill. Macron and his government argue the law is essential to ensure that France's generous pension system does not go bust. Unions say this can be done by other means, including taxing the rich more, or making deeper changes to the pension system. However, the CGT union called for a walkout at all refineries on Thursday as part of the nationwide strike.

☆ Macron bypassed parliament and angered French citizens. Setting the far-right up for a bounce
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

French President Emmanuel Macron. Shahin Vallée senior research fellow, German Council on Foreign RelationsMacron's popularity rating has worsened in the wake of the pension reforms. The proposed legislation pushes the retirement age up from 62 to 64, and for Macron, and his government, it's a necessity in order to balance the public finances. "Macron is not grooming anyone and that's part of the problem," Vallée said, adding that "Renaissance [party] is a one man party." Macron is serving his second mandate as president and the French constitution prevents him from running again for the job in 2027.

☆ Protester runs at Macron during state visit to Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, April 12 (Reuters) - A protester running towards French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to the Netherlands on Wednesday had to be bundled to the ground by security officers. The incident as Macron arrived at an event at the University of Amsterdam science campus, was the second day in a row his state visit had been disrupted by protests, after weeks of demonstrations at home against an unpopular pension law. While anger against his domestic policy has followed Macron to the Netherlands, the French president is also facing criticism from European and U.S. allies over his foreign policy. In a tweet on Wednesday, Macron reiterated that Europe must stand up for itself - without referring to his China comments. Back at home, French unions plan another nationwide day of protests on Thursday against the pension law.

As a result, the stakes of the inaugural trip by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have risen, with many EU members hoping Berlin will use this opportunity to set out a clear and united EU line on China, analysts said. Baerbock must now make Germany's position on Taiwan clear during her visit, German foreign policy parliamentarian Nils Schmid told Reuters, adding Macron's remarks had destroyed a hoped-for impetus for a common European China policy. The foreign minister is due to meet her counterpart Qin Gang and China's top diplomat Wang Yi on the two-day trip. Europe's view of China as partner, competitor and systemic rival is the compass of its policy, she added. "More von der Leyen than Macron should be her guideline," conservative foreign policy lawmaker Johann Wadephul, who will join Baerbock on her trip, told Reuters.

☆ France wants independence, will stay 'strong and reliable' US ally, finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday that France and Europe want to pursue an independent policy path from the United States and China, but intend to be "strong and reliable allies of the United States of America." Asked about Macron's comments, Le Maire said the controversy was "much ado about nothing" because the French president has been advocating such an approach for years. I mean that on the geopolitical issues, on the industrial issues, on the technological issues, we want Europe to be more independent," Le Maire said. He said Macron spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden before visiting China and said the U.S., France and Europe have a "coordinated approach" to relations with China. Le Maire said Macron had asked China to hold more dialogue on Taiwan-related issues.

☆ Macron stands by China interview - French diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 12 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron is not backtracking on comments in China urging the European Union to reduce dependency on the United States, a senior diplomat said on Wednesday. The French diplomat, who requested anonymity, told reporters that the substance of what Macron said, which focused on his pet project of European strategic autonomy, was clear, and his position on Taiwan and China has not changed. "This is something the president stands by entirely," he said of the interview. "France respects the One China principle and the president told (Chinese President Xi Jinping) that the Taiwan question should only be resolved pacifically," the French diplomat added. "No, Europe will not get dragged into that, but that doesn't mean Europe will disengage (from the Taiwan issue)."

☆ Macron comments leave senior Taiwanese official 'puzzled'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, April 12 (Reuters) - Comments by French President Emmanuel Macron on Taiwan are puzzling, a senior Taiwanese politician said, wondering whether France's founding ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity are now out of fashion. He also called for the European Union to reduce its dependence on the United States and to become a "third pole" in world affairs alongside Washington and Beijing. Taiwan parliament speaker You Si-kun, writing on Facebook late Tuesday above a screengrab of a report about Macron's comments on Taiwan, questioned the French commitment to freedom. "Are 'liberté, égalité, fraternité' out of fashion?," he wrote, referring to the official French motto of "liberty, equality, fraternity". "The actions of President Macron, a leading international democracy, leave me puzzled."

☆ Russia-Ukraine war live: Russia risks becoming China's 'economic colony,' CIA chief says; U.S. faces angry allies over leaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration is continuing to deal with allies upset over revelations from a trove of leaked Pentagon files, which exposed classified details on the war in Ukraine as well as political and military affairs in the Middle East, China, South Korea and elsewhere. Financial data shows a sharp rise in the use of China's yuan for financing globally, as some countries try to move away from reliance on the U.S. dollar. The director of the CIA warned that Russia risks becoming an "economic colony" of China as it becomes more isolated. Meanwhile, world leaders are making their visits to see Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva there now, just days after French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to China.

☆ Macron: France favours 'status quo' on Taiwan, position unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speak at a news conference during Macron's state visit to the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, Netherlands April 12, 2023. We're in favour of the status quo. This policy is constant and hasn't changed," Macron told a news conference during a state visit in the Netherlands. "So no, France does not support provocations, does not engage in fantasy politics and considers the status quo, respect and clarity are the best allies of European strategic autonomy," Macron said. The meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week - prior to China's drills - was a "provocation", the diplomat said.

[1/4] Chinese President Xi Jinping and France's President Emmanuel Macron meet at the Guandong province governor's residence, in Guangzhou, China, Friday, April 7, 2023. Macron's comments came in an interview on a trip to China that was meant to showcase European unity on China policy, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also taking part, but highlighted differences within the European Union. A senior diplomat from Central and Eastern Europe, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "President Macron is not speaking for Europe or the European Union. The French foreign ministry cancelled a planned debrief on the trip for foreign diplomats in Paris on Tuesday as officials scrambled to make sure they had a consistent message and to limit any fallout with Washington. But even some of those broadly supportive of Macron's agenda lamented the handling of the China trip, in which von der Leyen received a much more muted welcome than the French president.

☆ Protesters disrupt Macron's speech in The Hague
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsProtesters disrupt Macron's speech in The HaguePostedProtesters interrupted the start of a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron in The Hague on Tuesday (April 11) ? during a two-day state visit in the Netherlands ? by asking "where is French democracy?"

☆ Macron criticised for saying Europe should take independent stance on Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron has caused a stir by saying Europe has no interest in accelerating the conflict in Taiwan and should become a "third pole" independent of both Washington and Beijing. Political actors on both sides of the Atlantic criticised the president's position as being too accommodating of China, just as it carries out military drills around Taiwan. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. He added that the French president was "increasingly isolating himself in Europe." If Europe doesn't "pick sides between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, then maybe we shouldn't be picking sides either [on Ukraine]," the Republican senator said.

The comments suggest a more muted stance on the prospect for significant orders of large Airbus jets compared with the planemaker's best-selling A320neo medium-haul model, for which it is doubling production capacity in China. It also welcomed an agreement giving delivery clearance for 150 A320neo and 10 A350 jets that Airbus had already sold to China. Airbus is marketing a freighter version of its A350 jet and is keen to sell more wide-body passenger jets to China. The statement also said European and Chinese regulators would accelerate certification involving the Airbus H175 helicopter, Dassault Aviation (AM.PA) 8X business jet and Harbin Y12F turboprop. The H175 was co-developed by Airbus Helicopters and Chinese aerospace conglomerate AVIC and is often used for ambulance or police service.

☆ At elite Chinese university, Macron hails 'critical thinking'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GUANGHZOU, China, April 7 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron was given a rock star welcome by Chinese students at an elite university in Guangzhou where he took questions and hailed critical thinking in a country with tight media and political control. In opening remarks, Macron repeated the message of firmness against Russia he had conveyed to Chinese President Xi Jinping the day before. 'FREE AND EMANCIPATED INDIVIDUAL'Asked by a nuclear physics student what he thought were the skills needed for a bright future, Macron cited knowledge, critical thinking and self-confidence. "Critical thinking is just as important as access to knowledge. Without critical thinking, an individual "would not know what to do with knowledge and would simply be the victim of propaganda," Macron added.

☆ In Beijing, French business community welcomes Macron's overtures
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, April 6 (Reuters) - Among the French business executives travelling to Beijing with President Emmanuel Macron, the mood was cautiously sanguine on the thawing post-pandemic trade prospects with China, with some rejecting American-led calls for 'decoupling'. It shows the business community is supported by the president, it's very important vis-à-vis the Chinese authorities," Thierry de la Tour d'Artaise, chairman of French appliance group SEB (SEBF.PA), told Reuters. The size of Macron's business delegation was criticised by some commentators, though. "Three-quarters of the delegation are business leaders: the goal is first and foremost to sign contracts," Raphael Glucksmann, a left-wing member of the European parliament, wrote on Twitter ahead of Macron's visit. Operating in China still presented challenges for French businesses, China-based French expats said.

Strikes have rolled through France, Portugal, Britain and Germany in recent weeks and could cause air travel disruption in parts of Europe through the Easter holidays, officials at airlines, airports and air traffic authorities told Reuters. There's no doubt about it," said Steven Moore, who is in charge of air traffic management operations at Eurocontrol. Airlines say they have to pay compensation without themselves getting compensated for air traffic delays. Consumer groups say air traffic control strikes are not new and airlines should be quicker to react and pay compensation. He called last week on the European Commission to do more to stop such strikes hitting overflights, by introducing minimum service rules, though industry experts say strikes are a national issue.

[1/4] French railway workers on strike demonstrate against BlackRock company inside an office building as part of the eleventh day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie LecocqPARIS, April 6 (Reuters) - Dozens of trade unionists railing against French President Emmanuel Macron's pension overhaul briefly invaded the central Paris building in which U.S.-based investment firm BlackRock has an office, chanting slogans and setting off firecrackers. The union action in the historical Centorial building near Paris' Grand Boulevards area, targetted BlackRock because of its private pension fund activity, protester Françoise Onic, 51, told Reuters. Thomson Reuters has an office in the same building. The government says change is needed to keep the pension system in the black.

☆ Violent protests hit France: Anger grows over Macron's pension reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailViolent protests hit France: Anger grows over Macron's pension reformsHosted by Brian Sullivan, “Last Call” is a fast-paced, entertaining business show that explores the intersection of money, culture and policy. Tune in Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC. Andrew Biggs, AEI senior fellow, joins the show to discuss the ongoing protests in Paris.

[1/2] French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech to inaugurate the Festival Croisements at the Red Brick Museum in Beijing, China, April 5, 2023. For Macron's visit at least, there are high expectations in Beijing. "In other words, not everyone wants to see Macron's visit to China go smoothly and successfully." Later in the afternoon, Macron and von der Leyen will separately hold talks with President Xi Jinping before all three hold trilateral talks in the evening. "Three-quarters of the delegation are business leaders: the goal is first and foremost to sign contracts," left-wing MEP Raphael Glucksmann wrote on Twitter ahead of Macron's visit.

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