Macron's visit to China sparks intense debate over European independence from the US

French President Emmanuel Macron’s appeal for European independence from the United States has been gaining support among European politicians, with some claiming that Europe should not “blindly, systematically follow” Washington.

“There has been a leap forward on strategic autonomy compared to several years ago,” said European Council president Charles Michel, who told French TV show La Faute à l'Europe on Wednesday that the French president’s position was not isolated among EU leaders. While Macron spoke as the French president, his views reflect a growing shift among EU leaders.

During Macron's visit to China from April 5-7, he urged that Europe should reject pressure to become "America's followers."

On March 13th, in Paris, Macron met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who agreed on the importance of keeping in touch with China and the need to defend European competitiveness in the face of the American industrial offensive, according to Hungary Today.

As the controversy over Macron's comments grows, so does criticism from some politicians and media outlets in Europe and the US. Former US president Donald Trump has said that Macron sounds too much like China, and some more radical politicians have asked Macron to explain his position on Taiwan question and French-China relations.

French Ambassador to China Bertrand Lortholary told Global Times Thursday that President Macron hoped a few years ago that the dialogue between the EU as an unity with China could be enforced," noting that it's also clear that the EU has a strong willingness to make their common voice heard by China.

On the Taiwan question, the French envoy affirmed that France upholds the one-China policy, which has never changed. "Our most important interest is to avoid conflict and war, and our policy aims to maintain stability, so we do not think about different scenarios or hypothesis about war or conflict," he said.