PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron denounced “new imperialism” in the Indo-Pacific on Thursday as he pledged France would boost its presence in the region to defend the sovereignty of smaller states.
“In the Indo-Pacific, and particularly in Oceania, a new imperialism is appearing, and a power logic that is threatening the sovereignty of several states, the smallest, often the most fragile,” Macron said in a speech in Vanuatu. The French president is on a five-day visit to the South Pacific, stopping off in the French territory of New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and the archipelago of Vanuatu.
Macron however stopped short of naming the countries he accused of “new imperialism” in a region where China is leading an increasingly offensive foreign policy, and the U.S. is also scaling up its presence.
The French president denounced “illegal fishing” in maritime waters, the exploitation of rare minerals, and extortionate loans offered to smaller states.
Macron has been treading a tightrope in the Pacific between France’s historic alliance with the U.S. and other Western nations, and his desire to play a role as “a balancing power” in the region. It’s a position that has drawn criticism in the past, notably when he told POLITICO that Europe should not be “America’s followers” and “take its cue” from the U.S. on Taiwan.
The visit, the first by a French president since Charles de Gaulle toured the region in 1966, is meant to mark France’s “re-involvement” in the Indo-Pacific, which had been upset by France’s exclusion from the AUKUS alliance in 2021. France has the ambition to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with countries in the Pacific to support “their independence and sovereignty,” Macron said.
“The global order is completely disturbed by the willingness of new world powers to jeopardize the world order and invade other countries, like Russia invading Ukraine,” he said.
“Other big regional powers are testing you, testing us on our maritime sovereignty,” he added. France has several territories in the Pacific Ocean, including New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the islands of Wallis and Futuna.
Macron said he felt it was legitimate to make such warnings given France’s colonial ties to the region. “We are the heirs of this past,” he said. Vanuatu was a French-British “condominium” known as the New Hebrides until it achieved independence in 1980. The French president also gave his speech in French and English, two of the nation’s official languages.
Beijing meanwhile is seeking to increase its influence in the South Pacific, notably signing a defense agreement with the Solomon Islands last year. The United States has also responded with new assistance for the region and the signing of defense pacts, including with Papua New Guinea.
Macron announced new development investments, the opening of an office for France’s development agency and increased cooperation on maritime surveillance. According to Le Monde, French investments in the region are dwarfed by those of Australia, which spent €74 million on Vanuatu last year, compared with €8 million for France.