France's insistence on strategic autonomy means it's immune to bloc confrontation

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet in Paris, France, on Feb 20, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

This is an editorial from China Daily.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of diplomatic relations between China and France. The win-win cooperation and strategic coordination of the two countries over the past six decades have yielded fruitful results, benefiting the people of both nations, contributing to global peace and stability, and promoting a multipolar world.

Thanks to France's strategic independence, as well as the two countries' common commitment to multilateralism, Sino-French relations have demonstrated stability and sustainability amid the global volatility. Despite the attempts of the United States to drive a wedge between them, they continue to seek to explore the potentialities of new areas of cooperation.

The differences that exist between them have never become hindrances to exchanges and collaboration but avenues for arriving at mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual learning.

In the 25th China-France Strategic Dialogue hosted by the French president's diplomatic counselor, Emmanuel Bonne, and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Paris on Tuesday, the willingness and openness the French side expressed to continue to deepen the already broad and productive pragmatic cooperation with China was a clear dismissal of the "security concerns" the US has been hyping up with regard to cooperation with China. The green economy, clean technology, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and aerospace are all "sensitive fields" that the US seeks to exclude China from.

That, along with the stable bilateral cooperation between China and other major EU members, including Germany and Spain, the first two stops of Wang's Europe tour over the past few days, should serve to prove to the decision-makers of the European Union the necessity of upholding the bloc's strategic autonomy in handling relations with China, as well as the rationality of providing a fair, transparent and sound business environment for Chinese enterprises. Doing so can help avoid the EU footing the bill for the US' geopolitical gambling.

It is heartening to hear Wang's French hosts saying they will play their respective part to help stabilize the overall Sino-EU relations.

Both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and France are also working together to help broker a cease-fire in both the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts, a key part of the talks between Wang and French President Emmanuel Macron, that also took place on Tuesday.

Unlike the "values" the US advocates to drag the world into a new Cold War, the values being jointly upheld by Beijing and Paris are the foundations of the norm of international relations and accord with the principles of the UN Charter. Their common stance is to promote development, peace and stability and concerted efforts for the solution of global challenges.