DEclaration “France has many strengths,” said the head of state, on a trip to Bangkok
President Emmanuel Macron in Bangkok, November 18, 2022. — Ludovic Marin/POOL/SIPA
Emmanuel Macron takes on stereotypes about the French. They have the image of being “proud” and “arrogant”, when on the contrary they doubt “a lot”, even “too much” this Friday the president during a speech before the Economic Cooperation for Asia-Pacific (Apec). “France has many strengths,” the Head of State, traveling to Bangkok to present France’s strategy in Asia-Pacific.
“What makes us so special is that maybe, and to the opposite of the image that we have of very proud French people, perhaps sometimes a little arrogant, it’s that in reality we doubt ourselves a lot, and probably too much,” he continued in an intervention in English. More generally, the Head of State has above all pleaded so that the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, the scene of a rivalry, between China and the United States rely on regional powers, including France.
“Two big nervous elephants”
“We are in the jungle and we have two big elephants that are getting more and more nervous. If they get very nervous, they will start to go to war and it will be a big problem for the rest of the jungle,” said Emmanuel Macron.
The Head of State has erected a in priority strategically what Western diplomats refer to as the “Indo-Pacific” region, a vast area stretching from the East African coasts to the West American coasts where France has many territories and maritime areas. France holds most of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) there, the second largest in the world, around seven territories, from Réunion to France. New Caledonia and Tahiti, where live 1.65 million French citizens.