He attends the Shangri-La Dialogue, the most prominent security forum in Asia, held in Singapore.

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron urged the creation of an alliance between Europe and Asia to avoid becoming “collateral victims” of decisions made by global superpowers.

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“Let’s work together toward a new alliance between Europe and Asia, based on our shared principles and responsibilities, so we don’t become collateral victims of decisions made by superpowers,” he said during the opening speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s most prominent security forum, held in Singapore.

Macron, who reiterated the need for both Asia and Europe to pursue “strategic autonomy,” spoke at a forum attended by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, however, was not present this year.

The French president emphasized that countries on both continents can achieve “tangible results together and convince others to join” in building new alliances aimed at “restarting a new world order based on rules.”

“Let’s build a coalition open to trade, to dialogue, with a stable environment, based on rules — one that rejects the use of force to assert dominance,” Macron said and criticized the “unpredictability” of U.S. tariffs and China’s “coercion” in the contested South China Sea.

“We reject double standards. In today’s global environment, it is crucial to be consistent and to adhere to our principles and rules. What’s at stake is the protection of the global order,” he said, calling for a “peaceful path to balance conflicts” and urging both the United States and China to “join this approach.”

Macron also stressed the importance of achieving a cease-fire in Gaza and working toward the creation of a Palestinian state as the “only path” to resolving the conflict in the Middle East. “If we abandon Gaza, we lose our own credibility… the credibility to defend the global order,” he said.

The Shangri-La Dialogue continues Saturday with remarks from Hegseth, who is expected to outline the U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific, where global superpowers are testing their strength before dozens of defense officials from countries across the region.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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