EditChina rebukes Macron’s Ukraine-Taiwan parallel as tensions simmer at Shangri-La Dialogue
The exchange unfolds against a backdrop of heightened China-Taiwan and US-China tensions
China sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday (31 May), branding his attempt to link Ukraine’s defence with the need to shield Taiwan from a potential Chinese invasion as an “unacceptable” double standard.
The rebuke, posted on Facebook by China’s embassy in Singapore, came in response to Macron’s remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a high-profile defence summit, where he warned Friday night that allowing Russia to seize parts of Ukraine unchecked could signal to Beijing a green light for aggression against Taiwan.
This exchange unfolds against a backdrop of heightened China-Taiwan tensions and arrives as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amplifies warnings, while speculation swirls about how a Ukraine outcome might shape Indo-Pacific stability.
In his wide-ranging address on Friday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Macron highlighted the risks of a divided U.S.-China relationship, asking, “If Russia was allowed to take any part of Ukraine without constraint, then what could happen in Taiwan?”
The comment, part of a broader call to uphold international norms, drew a swift retort from China’s embassy, which argued in its post that “the two are different in nature and not comparable at all.”
Beijing insists Taiwan is an internal matter, a province of China with no claim to statehood, in stark contrast to Ukraine, a sovereign nation under attack by Russia since February 2022.
“If one tries to denounce a ‘double standard’ with a double standard, the only result we can get is still a double standard,” the embassy stated, pairing the post with a photo of Macron speaking, though not naming him directly.
Taiwan, a self-governing democracy of 23 million, has faced escalating pressure from China, which views the island as a breakaway territory and has never renounced the use of force to achieve “reunification.” Since 2020, Beijing has intensified military drills – warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line, naval exercises encircling the island – and ramped up political rhetoric, rejecting Taipei’s stance that only its people can decide their future.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, elected in January 2024, has vowed to resist, bolstered by U.S. arms sales and regional alliances, though China’s military budget, at $225 billion in 2024, dwarfs Taiwan’s $19 billion. This tension framed Macron’s analogy, as a Russian victory in Ukraine, where Moscow has annexed regions like Crimea and Donbas, could embolden China, analysts warn.
China’s reaction also reflects its sensitivity to global scrutiny at the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting, ending 1 June. Unlike past years, when defence ministers or senior generals attended, Beijing sent a lower-profile delegation of military academics, signalling a cautious stance amid strained U.S.-China ties.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking Saturday, escalated the rhetoric, calling China an “imminent” threat and warning that any attempt to conquer Taiwan “would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world.” His remarks, fresh off a January 2025 Pentagon report highlighting China’s 3,000-warplane air force and hypersonic missile advances, underscore U.S. commitment to Taiwan under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which mandates support for its defence.
Macron’s comments were not isolated, regional diplomats noted, with sideline talks at the summit buzzing about parallels between Ukraine and Taiwan.
“The message from many backing Ukraine is that the line must be held if a message is to be sent to China,” an East Asian envoy told reporters, speaking anonymously. This fear ties to timing: reports in May 2025 suggest a potential trilateral meeting involving U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a Ukraine peace deal, with Trump hinting at concessions like Crimea remaining with Russia. Such an outcome could signal to Beijing that territorial grabs face little resistance, heightening risks for Taiwan.
With Reuters, edited by g.g.
Caption: French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his keynote address during the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue Defence Summit in Singapore, 30 May 2025. Defense ministers and officials from 47 countries are gathered in the city state for the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual high level defence summit in the Asia Pacific region. [EPA-EFE/HOW HWEE YOUNG]
Updated: June 1, 2025 - 06:12
