China has criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for drawing parallels between the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in Taiwan, insisting on Saturday that the two matters are “different in nature and not comparable at all.”
In a statement posted on social media, China’s embassy in Singapore said it found Macron’s comparison “unacceptable,” following the French leader’s warning to Asian defence officials in Singapore to not treat Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a distant issue.
Macron had asked during the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s leading annual security forum, “If we consider that Russia could be allowed to seize part of Ukraine’s territory without any restrictions or response from the global order, how would you describe what might happen in Taiwan?” He also questioned, “What would you do if something happened in the Philippines?”
China’s embassy responded firmly, reiterating that the “Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair,” and emphasising that “there is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.”
While Taiwan sees itself as an independent state, China has never ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also spoke at the Singapore forum on Saturday, warning that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to alter the balance of power in Asia. He noted that the Chinese military was building capabilities to invade Taiwan and was “rehearsing for the real deal.”
