Macron Declares 'China Is Welcome' as Europe Prepares Trade Bazooka for Washington

As Washington intensifies its confrontational approach to allies and adversaries alike, French President Emmanuel Macron has charted a distinctly European course: welcoming Chinese investment while preparing the EU's most powerful economic weapons to defend against American pressure.

Macron's Davos Declaration

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Macron delivered a message that reverberated across global markets and diplomatic circles. "China is welcome," he declared, "but what we need is more Chinese foreign direct investments in Europe, in some key sectors, to contribute to our growth, to transfer some technologies."

The statement represents a significant recalibration of European positioning. Rather than accepting the binary choice between Washington and Beijing that American policymakers have long demanded, Macron is staking out independent ground. The reaction on social media was immediate, with some calling it "a significant pivot for European strategic autonomy" while others questioned whether Macron was speaking for all of Europe.

The French president's approach is pragmatic rather than ideological. He acknowledged Chinese "excess capacities and distortive practices" that threaten European industries, but argued that "the answer, in order to fix this issue, is more cooperation" rather than a retreat into protectionism that mirrors American tactics.

The Anti-Coercion Bazooka

What makes Macron's China overture particularly significant is the context: Europe is simultaneously preparing its most powerful trade weapon against the United States. The EU's anti-coercion mechanism, colloquially known as the trade "bazooka," may be deployed against Washington for the first time.

"Europe has very strong tools now, and we have to use them," Macron stated, calling it "crazy" that the bloc might be forced to use this mechanism "for the very first time, vis-a-vis the US." The instrument allows the EU to impose retaliatory measures against countries using trade policy as a weapon of political coercion.

The backdrop is stark. As Trump's tariffs expose strategic vulnerabilities, Europe finds itself in the uncomfortable position of needing American weapons while defending against American economic pressure. The solution, as Macron sees it, is accelerated strategic autonomy.

China Enters the Greenland Dispute

Beijing has not remained silent as Washington uses alleged Chinese threats to justify its territorial ambitions toward Greenland. Chinese officials have demanded that "the United States must stop using China's name as a pretext to pursue its own selfish interests."

The accusation struck a nerve. As one observer noted, "calling someone a threat while trying to colonize Greenland is actually peak irony." The United States has claimed that preventing Chinese influence in the Arctic necessitates American control over the Danish territory, a justification that Greenland itself has forcefully rejected.

Beijing's response has been to highlight the contradiction at the heart of American rhetoric. The world's self-proclaimed defender of sovereignty is threatening an allied nation's territorial integrity while blaming China for the necessity. The irony has not been lost on international observers, with many noting that "it's pretty scary when China makes more sense" than the United States.

Europe's Difficult Balance

The European position requires a delicate balance. Brussels must maintain economic ties with both superpowers while asserting its own interests against each. According to the German Marshall Fund, Beijing has adopted "a dismissive stance toward EU institutions, focusing instead on individual member states." One French diplomat reported: "It is very worrying how dismissive they are of EU institutions."

China ended 2025 with retaliatory trade measures including substantial tariffs on European dairy imports and safeguards on imported beef. Yet Macron's response is not to escalate but to engage, seeking a rebalancing of the economic relationship through investment rather than trade barriers.

Germany, meanwhile, faces particular exposure. The country is losing approximately 10,000 manufacturing jobs monthly amid intensifying industrial competition with China. Yet Berlin appears hesitant to embrace the confrontational posture that Washington demands.

The Stakes for Strategic Autonomy

Macron framed the current moment as a turning point. The world is moving "towards a world without rules," he warned, experiencing what he called "the brutalisation of the world." Europe cannot "passively accept vassalisation and bloc politics."

The message to both superpowers is clear: Europe will not be a junior partner in anyone's geopolitical vision. The EU's 800 billion euro defense plan, its anti-coercion mechanism, and its willingness to engage with China on European terms all point toward the same goal: a Europe that can act independently.

This does not mean Europe views China as benign. Concerns about Uyghur repression, pressure on Taiwan, and unfair trade practices remain. But the European approach prioritizes dialogue and engagement over the confrontational decoupling that Washington favours.

Looking Ahead

As European unity faces tests from multiple directions, Macron's Davos address represents an attempt to articulate a distinctly European vision. The continent will engage with China while defending its values, deploy economic weapons against American coercion while maintaining the transatlantic relationship, and pursue strategic autonomy while remaining open to global trade.

The alternative, as Macron sees it, is subordination. And that is something no European leader, regardless of political persuasion, can afford to accept. The coming months will test whether Europe can maintain this independent course as pressure intensifies from Washington and Beijing alike.