'Macron a very important piece of China's quest to rewrite post-WWII order'

As President Emmanuel Macron visits Beijing, Alicia García Herrero, Economist, Senior Fellow at the Bruegel Institute and an expert on Asian economic affairs, provides a stark assessment of Europe’s strategic position vis-à-vis China. She argues that it’s a challenging geopolitical and economic landscape for Europe: the European Union’s widening trade deficit with China, expected to reach €400 billion this year, is unlikely to narrow, as Beijing has little incentive to adjust the imbalance and holds significantly greater leverage. Europe also remains quite vulnerable in critical mineral supply chains and will need to cooperate with allies like Japan. Beijing’s primary interest actually lies in securing French influence for its own objectives, particularly regarding Taiwan and the post-war international order.