Macron arrives in Vietnam for a tour of Southeast Asia, here's what he's expected to discuss with local politicians

During his six-day trip - which includes stops in Indonesia and Singapore - French President Emmanuel Macron will stress his respect for the sovereignty of Asian countries. The French president is expected to meet with Vietnam's top leadership on Monday in the capital Hanoi and with energy sector representatives on Tuesday.

Macron hopes to promote France's expertise in civilian nuclear energy to Vietnam and Indonesia, which are interested in this form of energy, although other countries such as Russia are also vying for potential deals. "The major challenges of this century ... can only be faced in cooperation with our partners," Macron wrote on social media after arriving in Hanoi.

“I came here to strengthen our ties in key areas: defense, innovation, energy transition and cultural exchanges. Wherever I go, I will say one simple thing: France is a power of peace and balance,” he said. “It is a reliable partner that believes in dialogue and cooperation. When some choose to withdraw, France chooses to build bridges.”

France's willingness "to engage strongly in Indo-Pacific geopolitics offers Vietnam a valuable counterweight to China's growing influence," said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting scholar at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

In Indonesia, Macron will hold talks with the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kao Kim Hourn, on Wednesday. Macron’s aide said the president is “supporting the idea of ​​international trade rules — because we don’t want a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails.”

He added that Macron's message is aimed at both Washington, which is exerting "extremely strong pressure" through tariffs, and Beijing, which is becoming increasingly aggressive on trade issues and territorial disputes, particularly in the South China Sea. Before leaving, Macron held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, where he called for "fair competition" between the two countries. Meanwhile, in Singapore, on Friday, Macron will give the opening speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's largest forum on security and defense.

He is expected to emphasize that Russia's war in Ukraine is destabilizing Asia by "having North Korean soldiers fight on European soil against Ukrainians and supporting North Korea's ballistic and nuclear programs," the presidential aide said./ France 24/

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