Presidents of the United States Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron promised on Thursday to work together to address China’s “challenge” and urged for calm in the Taiwan Strait. The two leaders vowed to hold Russia accountable “for widely documented atrocities and war crimes, committed both by its regular armed forces and by its proxies” in Ukraine in a joint statement released following their Oval Office discussions.
According to a joint statement released by the White House, “the United States and France will continue to coordinate on our concerns regarding China’s challenge to the rules-based international order, including respect for human rights, and to work with China on important global issues like climate change.”
In addition, the two presidents promised to stand with Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and to hold Moscow accountable for any war crimes.
During Macron’s Thursday visit to the White House, Biden and Macron both vowed to maintain the “unwavering” ties between their two nations. Armed forces from the army, marines and the air force met Macron.
“France is our oldest ally, our unwavering partner in freedom’s cause,” Biden told the reporters.
The bond between the two nations, which stretches back to the fight for US freedom, was also highlighted by Macron, who declared that “we need to become brothers in arms once more.”
Biden has insisted that the IRA will not endanger European businesses
Recently, the two nations’ relations have taken a hit as a result of Macron’s accusations that Biden’s economic policies will inevitably lead to a trade war. Around $4 million will be invested through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in environmentally friendly businesses, however, several European nations have raised worry that this could spark a race to make investments in the green economy.
“The consequence of the IRA is that you will perhaps fix your issue but you will increase my problem. I’m sorry to be so straightforward,” Macron said on Wednesday according to Reuters.
The growth of China on the international stage and the alliances it has formed in the Pacific Islands will be one of the main subjects of discussion, according to AFP. “Europe has since 2018 its own, unique strategy for relations with China,” tweeted Pascal Confavreux, a spokesman for the French embassy in Washington.