China on Wednesday sharply criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for equating the Ukraine and Taiwan conflicts and his call for Asian countries to align with Europe, saying Beijing will firmly oppose any attempts by NATO to advance into the Asia Pacific.
“We firmly oppose relevant remarks. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory… The Taiwan question and the Ukraine crisis are not comparable at all,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing here while responding to a question on Macron’s speech at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
In his speech which raised eyebrows in both the US and China, Macron appealed to Asian countries to build a new alliance with Europe to ensure they do not become “collateral damage” in the struggle for power between the US and China. PTI
