From the Thai capital Bangkok, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was taking place, Emmanuel Macron called for a “one world order”. In a long speech on Friday November 18, the President of the Republic presented the French strategy in the region while warning against the “malfunctions” that are shaking the global economy due to multiple “confrontations” and current crises, such as the war in Ukraine. A speech that also sparked a lively controversy, the Head of State qualifying the French as “very proud, even a little arrogant”.
In his speech, Emmanuel Macron described the economies of the APEC countries as “matrix of globalization”. “We have seen this over the last three decades at least and during the Covid crisis (…) the region represents the essential hubs of international trade”, he indicated. In his opinion, the origin of the economic growth recorded in this region does not lie solely in the presence of important infrastructures such as ports or straits.
“This collective success was made possible by the fact that international trade was regulated by common rules, by institutions and this is exactly what APEC shares with the European Union: regional integration, common rules ”he insists.
Common rules which are compromised by several crises, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, and which constitute “three challenges” that Macron listed.
The first challenge, according to the Head of State, is “this accumulation of crises”starting, of course, with “Russia’s Aggression Against Ukraine”. A “world crisis” resulting from this war, which add to many tensions in the region, such as “difficulties with North Korea” or “the confrontation in the South China Sea”.
Risk of “global divide”
This war in Ukraine is “different”according to him because it is, precisely, an aggression against international rules. “All our countries, all the member countries of APEC benefit from a stability that emanates from the Charter of the United Nations, from its rules, from the decision that we have taken to respect, to follow common rules (… ) if we accept that a single country can decide to free itself from it, to break its rules (…) it is the end of stability for anyone in the world”he explains.
The president continues that this war adds to the energy crisis and also causes a food crisis. “All of this has contributed to destabilizing Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. But that is why this war is such a global crisis”he continues.
But, in his speech, Macron asserts “world order” began to malfunction long before this war. Blame it on “confrontations” and “rivalry” between economic powers that fuel the risk of “global divide”. “Again, stability was a result of our global trade, our global approach, our desire to share prosperity with all. All thanks to the common rules. But now because of this confrontation between the main economies, we have started to observe dysfunctions”did he declare.
A “middle class crisis”
These dysfunctions constitute the second challenge that the region must face. They could “aggravate the fracture” what is the war in Ukraine, especially with the pressure exerted on countries to force them to line up behind “China or the United States”. Reason why “we need a single world order”, did he declare : “Are you on the side of the United States or China? Because now gradually there are many people who would like to see two orders in this world. This is a serious mistake. Even for the United States and China. We need a one world order“.
During his speech, the Head of State mentioned climate change as the third challenge.
On this subject, he affirmed to bring to his audience “a few hints of hope thanks to our strategy”. “Growth is the only way to bring prosperity to our people, to solve poverty (…) And the challenge is the same here and in Europe. The crisis in Europe, let’s be clear, is a crisis of the middle class, of lack of opportunities for our middle classes”he judges.
Macron says the other solution to the challenges he cited is “sustainable growth to meet the challenges of climate change” (…) the challenges of demographic transition”. And to achieve this growth, “The first way is obviously peace and stability. This is why France’s very first objective in this environment is to contribute to peace, of course peace in Ukraine, and to try to obtain, to launch a common dynamic to exert pressure on Russia in order to come to the negotiating table, and respect the international order”he added.
“Very proud… even a little arrogant”
The Head of State thus emphasizes that the “France is focused, not only to support Ukraine, but also to work very closely with different countries like China, India, the whole region, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America”.
Emmanuel Macron also sparked controversy when he presented, in his last part of his speech, France’s efforts in the fight against global warming. He thus declared that the French were “very proud, even a little arrogant” before adding that they “doubted a lot of themselves”.
“In France, we have adopted a large number of reforms in recent years. Sometimes you will hear that things are bad, difficult in France, but that’s the case everywhere. France has many assets, and what makes our country quite special is that the French are very proud, sometimes, perhaps a little too much, even a little arrogant, but in fact we very much doubt ourselves, sometimes too likely”said the head of state.
A joke according to relatives of Emmanuel Macron at BFM TV, which caused an outcry despite the explanations of the Presidency. “It was a point-blank remark. He was referring to a perception of French people abroad, but it’s not a value judgment”relativized the presidency.
A “one world order”: a declaration that attracts attention
Emmanuel Macron’s remarks on the need for a “one world order” have not gone unnoticed. An expression that comes up regularly in public discourse. Russia “is today the most direct threat to the world order”, declared on May 12 Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. Or even on March 21, when Joe Biden assured that“there is going to be a new world order and [que] we have to direct it”.
A political will widely castigated by Internet users on Twitter, like the president of the UPR, François Asselineau. In a series of tweets, the latter accused the French head of state of ignoring international law “which precisely aims to prevent the law of the jungle between States“ and not understand “that he is addressing an audience of heads of state and experts who have long understood the ulterior motives of the American and European oligarchs and their minions, who advocate the advent of a “new world order “ in place of the current “international order“ created in 1945.“ “A Western fantasy of planetary domination rejected by the vast majority of the States of the world“according to him.
????Macron does not understand that he is addressing an audience of heads of state and experts
▪️ who know that international law, invented in 1625 by the jurist ???????? Grotius (with his book “The Law of War and Peace”), is precisely intended to prevent the law of the jungle between States pic.twitter.com/JJAYEXaAql— Francois Asselineau (@UPR_Asselineau) November 21, 2022
“Macron’s One World Order is quite simply France subject to Germany and the USA. Not very “global” as a thing“, mocking a user. “Who really needs a new world order?“, asks another.