The former British prime minister Liz Truss has criticised the visit by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the European Commission president, Ursula Von der Leyen, to Beijing, describing it as a mistake. Speaking during a Q&A after delivering the 2023 Margaret Thatcher freedom lecture on Wednesday, Truss said: ‘The idea that we can treat China as just another global player is wrong. It is a totalitarian regime and we need to adapt our policies accordingly.’ Truss also called on western countries to take a stronger line on Taiwan The…
Tag: Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron heckled during state visit to Netherlands
Emmanuel Macron was heckled and jeered on a state visit to the Netherlands as he faced pressure over both raising the French pension age and his warning that Europe must not become “vassals” in a US conflict with China over Taiwan. The French president was due to give a speech on European strategic autonomy when two demonstrators against his pension changes were arrested as they ran towards him on his arrival at the University of Amsterdam. The speech, interrupted by repeated heckling, had been seen as a chance to clarify…
China’s engagement in peace in Ukraine is a ‘good thing’, says France’s Macron – video
Emmanuel Macron has said China’s engagement in peace in Ukraine is a ‘good thing’. The French president told reporters that he would visit China in early April, in part to seek Beijing’s help with ending the war Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates The Guardian
Cop15 negotiators close to agreeing nature deal as talks draw to end
A potentially transformational agreement for nature is close to being reached at Cop15 in Montreal, which could bring better protection for Earth’s vital ecosystems such as the Amazon and Congo basin rainforests, big reforms to agriculture and better protection of indigenous territories and rights. After four years of negotiations and 12 years since the last biodiversity targets were agreed in Japan, the Chinese president of Cop15 put forward its recommendations for a final agreement after two weeks of intense negotiations at the UN biodiversity summit in Canada. Over the last…
Friend or foe: what world leaders think of Liz Truss
She has caused uproar by questioning whether the French president, Emmanuel Macron, is a trusted ally and pursued a policy in Northern Ireland that has upset the White House. Should Liz Truss become prime minister on 5 September, she will come with some unhelpful baggage to the top table on the international stage at a fraught time. The challenges will come thick and fast. From the war in Ukraine, the global energy crisis and the urgent calls for more and deeper action on the climate crisis, the world is looking…
Australia news live: NSW flood warnings; Sydney train strike delays; at least 27 Covid deaths recorded
From 5h ago NSW rail union pushes ahead with industrial action Sydney commuters are in for a “very messy day” as the NSW rail union pushes ahead with industrial action that will take out 70% of the train fleet, AAP reports. The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has been locked in long-running stoush with the Perrottet government over a new Korean-made Intercity fleet, which it says is unsafe. While the government has signalled it could be prepared to spend $264m to modify the fleet, the union says it has refused…
Albanese to meet Macron in Paris for ‘important reset’ of Australia’s relationship with France
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed he will visit France to meet President Emmanuel Macron, and is considering travelling to Ukraine, during next week’s trip to Europe for the Nato summit. Albanese said he was also looking forward to “having further dialogue” with the Chinese government, but admitted the relationship would remain “problematic” for some time, despite a recent end to the freeze on diplomatic relations. “Already there have been some improvements but it’s a long way to go,” the prime minister told the ABC’s 7.30 program. Albanese will on…