French President Emmanuel Macron warned that deepening divisions between the U.S. and China pose the greatest risk to global stability, calling instead for new “coalitions of action” between Europe and Asia to preserve international order.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Macron said France remains a U.S. ally and also cooperates with China, but warned that forcing countries to choose sides “will kill the global order.” He argued that institutions built after World War II would unravel under a polarized superpower rivalry.

“The time for non-alignment has undoubtedly passed,” Macron said, “but the time for coalitions of action has come.”

France Seeks Strategic Partnerships in Asia

Macron’s comments come as France and the EU intensify trade and diplomatic outreach in Asia, partly in response to U.S. tariff policies under President Donald Trump. France aims to build independent coalitions with Indo-Pacific nations, including Singapore, to counter rising geopolitical uncertainty.

The French president joins other Western and Asian leaders in emphasizing Southeast Asia’s strategic importance amid ongoing supply chain realignments and global tension.

Ukraine, Taiwan, and Global Credibility

Macron warned that failure to resolve the war in Ukraine would damage U.S. and European credibility in Asia. “If the United States and the Europeans are unable to fix the Ukraine crisis, the credibility... to fix any other crisis in this region will be very low,” he stated.

He also linked inaction in Ukraine to potential Chinese aggression toward Taiwan. “If we allow Russia to take part of Ukraine without constraint... what could happen in Taiwan?” he asked, highlighting the dangerous precedent such a scenario might set.

Strategic Realignment on the Global Stage

France’s Indo-Pacific shift marks an effort to carve out an autonomous path amid great power tensions. Macron’s message resonated with regional leaders wary of being caught in a binary rivalry, and reflects wider European efforts to balance security partnerships with commercial interests across Asia.