Macron sparks anger by saying Europe should not be ‘vassal’ in US-China clash

Alarm on both sides of Atlantic as French president warns against being drawn into any Taiwan conflict

Emmanuel Macron has flown into a storm of criticism after he said Europe should not become a “vassal” and must avoid being drawn into any conflict between the US and China over Taiwan.

The French president made the remarks in an interview on his plane after a three-day state visit to China, where he received a red carpet welcome by President Xi Jinping – a show of pageantry that alarmed some European China watchers.