Under the spotlight at the World Economic Forum in Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech that was both combative and strikingly pragmatic. Facing escalating trade threats from across the Atlantic, Macron charted a clear strategic course: a firm political rebuttal to Trump's "bullying diplomacy," coupled with an economic overture extending an olive branch to China.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a forceful speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Amid escalating tensions with Trump, he called on Europe to deploy all available tools to protect its own interests, explicitly stating, "We prefer respect to bullying."
In his address, Macron condemned American competition as aiming to "subordinate Europe," while simultaneously emphasizing that Europe must address critical issues to drive innovation and private investment. He stated, "This is not an era of new imperialism or new colonialism, but a time for cooperation to solve global challenges," and reiterated, "We prefer the rule of law to violence."
Macron, speaking at the World Economic Forum on the 20th, stated that the current international order faces severe challenges, with some nations attempting to reshape international rules through power politics. He called on the international community to uphold sovereign equality and multilateral cooperation, opposing the logic that might makes right.
This speech coincided with Trump's public release of private messages from Macron, which revealed the French president's confusion over the Greenland issue and his proposal for a G7 meeting in Paris on Thursday that would include Russian representatives. Upon learning that President Macron had no intention of joining the US-led so-called "peace committee" to oversee the post-war transition governance in Gaza, Trump threatened to impose 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne.
"To remain free, one must be feared" The clash between Macron and Trump over Greenland occurred shortly after the French president recently vowed to strengthen France's military presence on the Arctic island. Currently, about 15 French soldiers are deployed in Nuuk for exercises, with land, air, and naval assets being reinforced.
Last week, while addressing the armed forces at the Istres Air Base, Macron declared that 2026 would be a challenging year for French defense and confirmed plans to increase military spending by 36 billion euros during the 2026-2030 period.
Macron stated in his speech, "To remain free, one must be feared; to be feared, one must be strong. To be strong in this brutal world, we must act faster and more powerfully."
Macron also subtly criticized Trump's perspective on global conflicts, remarking that although "some say the war is solved," the reality is that 2025 remains plagued by dozens of wars.
Following Macron's speech on Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to deliver a special address on Wednesday, which is expected to dominate the five-day forum concluding on Friday. It remains unclear whether Macron will stay in Davos for a potential meeting with Trump; a source close to the French president did not rule out the possibility of his participation in discussions on Ukraine on Wednesday.
Prior to Macron's speech, French officials explicitly criticized Trump's tariff strategy in a press briefing, stating that France does not view tariffs as a solution to global problems or economic imbalances. They described this coercive trade approach as anti-cooperative and fundamentally flawed.
In response to US tariff threats, President Macron stated that France would, if necessary, request the activation of the EU's anti-coercion instrument on its behalf. This marks the first official French response to the US government's tariff threats.
"China is welcome, we need more direct investment" Macron stated at the Davos Forum, "China is welcome, but what we need is more foreign direct investment from China in some of Europe's key sectors to promote our growth."
The French President emphasized that such investment should involve technology transfer, rather than merely exporting "some equipment or products, which sometimes have different standards or receive more subsidies than those produced in Europe."
These remarks were made approximately one month after Macron's visit to Beijing. Last December, while attending a France-China Business Council meeting, Macron called for "mutually beneficial projects" in areas where he acknowledged China's technological advantage and urged Chinese companies to play a role in Europe's development. These sectors include batteries, electric vehicles, and solar panels, where China's technological gap is widening.
Defending European Manufacturing: 75% Localization Rate and the 2035 Ban While advocating for foreign investment, Macron did not relax his stance on protecting domestic industry. He reaffirmed a "Europe First" position, particularly in the electric vehicle sector.
Macron explicitly proposed that to protect Europe's production base, all vehicles sold in Europe should contain at least 75% locally sourced components—a standard currently applicable only to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.
Furthermore, regarding the controversial "2035 ban on internal combustion engine vehicles," Macron remained resolute. Despite facing opposition from some EU member states, he warned, "If we abandon the 2035 target, then forget about European battery factories."
In his view, only by adhering to aggressive environmental goals can Europe's battery industry—such as the ACC gigafactory joint venture between Stellantis, TotalEnergies, and Mercedes-Benz—be compelled to survive and develop. Introducing Chinese battery technology and factories, like Envision AESC's plant in Douai, is a crucial piece of this grand industrial blueprint.
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