Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy \u2013 but Beijing would need to steer clear of red lines in francophone Africa and the South Pacific<\/p>\nAny Chinese outreach towards Niger\u2019s coup leaders will irk France, which has already warned against \u2018imperialism\u2019 in the Indo-Pacific<\/p>\n
At a China-France dialogue in Beijing last month, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng expressed hope that France \u201cwill stabilise the tone of friendly cooperation\u201d with the European Union. This comes as French President Emmanuel Macron tries to promote Europe\u2019s strategic autonomy amid the great power contest between the US and China.<\/p>\n
Beijing\u2019s promise of increased economic cooperation suggests it wants help from Paris to repair its deteriorating ties with the EU. But the manoeuvre could fail if China crosses the line in two geopolitical chessboards that France considers strategic and are currently in the spotlight \u2013 francophone Africa and the South Pacific.<\/p>\n
As China\u2019s influence grows in Africa, France will surely monitor the Chinese position towards the recent military coup in Niger, once a French colony. The French government, along with the European Union, has condemned the coup and emphasised its support for the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum.<\/p>\n
Some observers say China could gain ground in the Sahel region to the detriment of the West, specifically France, given that Beijing does not shy away from dealing with military juntas like that led by Niger\u2019s General Abdourahamane Tiani.<\/p>\n
Indeed, should the coup leadership manage to stabilise its grip on power, China could be tempted to recognise the new rulers to protect its oil and uranium interests in Niger. After all, Beijing has accepted the military power grabs in Burkina Faso and Mali in recent years.<\/p>\n
If China successfully fills the French void in Niger, it would score another point in the Global South amid increasing strategic competition with the United States. But any possible ChAlong with neighbouring Chad, Niger is Paris\u2019 last military bastion in the Sahel area after it withdrew troops from Mali and Burkina Faso, which saw military coups in May 2021 and January 2022 respectively. The French were forced to pull forces from Malian territory last year even as Mali\u2019s military leaders were accused of deploying Russia\u2019s Wagner Group mercenaries. Earlier this year, Paris also officially ended military operations on Burkinabe soil.inese<\/p>\n
Losing its position in Niger will be a clear setback for Paris. French troops have been deployed in the landlocked country to combat an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region. Niger is also the world\u2019s seventh-largest producer of uranium and an important contributor to French nuclear power plants.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s geopolitical imperative in Africa is to ensure a stable environment for its investments and trade operations, and this implies that Beijing is in no mood to risk irking France.<\/p>\n
overtures to Niger\u2019s coup leaders would also irritate France.<\/p>\n
In line with its position on the civil conflict in Sudan, China\u2019s foreign ministry called on all factions in Niger to \u201csolve differences peacefully through dialogue, restore order at an early date, and safeguard the overall peace, stability and development of the nation\u201d.<\/p>\n
If Beijing is prudent about the Niger crisis, it may be less accommodating with France when it comes to geopolitical jockeying in the South Pacific, given the direct implications for China\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is in the Indo-Pacific, and particularly in Oceania, new imperialism appearing, and a power logic that is threatening the sovereignty of several states; the smallest, often the most fragile,\u201d Macron said in a speech in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on July 27.<\/p>\n
France sees itself as a Pacific actor because of its New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the Wallis and Futuna dependencies, which have about 560,000 French citizens altogether. By virtue of these territories, it has an exclusive economic zone in the South Pacific of about 6.5 million sq km to defend. With 2,840 troops stationed in New Caledonia and French Polynesia, it is the only European power with a permanent military presence in the area.<\/p>\n
While Macron\u2019s tirade in Vanuatu was also directed at the United States, which is jostling with China for influence in the South Pacific, his first target was clearly Beijing. During his visit to New Caledonia on July 26, he announced that the number of French troops will be increased there and cautioned that independence for the French overseas territory could mean a \u201cChinese naval base\u201d tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Macron was apparently referring to the security agreement that China signed with the Solomon Islands last year. The terms of the pact are largely secret but would give Chinese warships the right to make stopovers and refuel in the ports of the Pacific island nation, which shares a common sea border with French Caledonia.<\/p>\n
Chinese tabloid Global Times attacked Macron\u2019s narrative about the risk of new imperialism in the South Pacific, with some experts labelling it \u201can empty concept\u201d and desperate effort to save France\u2019s marginalised status in the region.<\/p>\n
France wants to preserve its sphere of influence in its former African colonies and defend its sovereignty in the South Pacific. Chinese President Xi Jinping will have to take this into account if he wants the entente with Macron to bear fruit.<\/p>\n
Recent developments in Europe, such as Italy\u2019s decision to try and back out of participation in China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative, and the European Commission\u2019s push for an economic security strategy evidently aimed at China, should advise Beijing to play its cards right in areas where it could end up threatening French national interests.<\/p>\n
source:scmp<\/b><\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Emanuele Scimia Africa-Press – Rwanda. France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy \u2013 but Beijing would need to steer clear of red lines in francophone Africa and the South Pacific Any Chinese outreach towards Niger\u2019s coup leaders will irk France, which has already warned against \u2018imperialism\u2019 in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":49537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,761],"tags":[760,763,758],"class_list":["post-49538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-rwanda","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\n
Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy \u2013 but Beijing would need to steer cle ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy \u2013 but Beijing would need to steer cle ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-08T11:43:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-08T12:14:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1098\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"732\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-08T11:43:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-08T12:14:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific\"},\"wordCount\":959,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Rwanda\",\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific\",\"name\":\"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific - Rwanda\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-08T11:43:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-08T12:14:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy \u2013 but Beijing would need to steer cle ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg\",\"width\":1098,\"height\":732,\"caption\":\"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/\",\"name\":\"Rwanda\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific - Rwanda","description":"France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy \u2013 but Beijing would need to steer cle ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific","og_description":"France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy \u2013 but Beijing would need to steer cle ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific","og_site_name":"Rwanda","article_published_time":"2023-08-08T11:43:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-08T12:14:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1098,"height":732,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific","datePublished":"2023-08-08T11:43:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-08T12:14:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific"},"wordCount":959,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Rwanda","Rwanda"],"articleSection":["all news","files"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific","name":"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific - Rwanda","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg","datePublished":"2023-08-08T11:43:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-08T12:14:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy \u2013 but Beijing would need to steer cle ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2023\/08\/sm_1691483492.482533.jpg","width":1098,"height":732,"caption":"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-china-should-tread-carefully-around-french-interests-in-africa-and-the-pacific#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why China should tread carefully around French interests in Africa and the Pacific"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/","name":"Rwanda","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}