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French President Emmanuel Macron has begun a six-day visit to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore in which he will tout France and Europe as trade and security partners of choice for a region buffeted by tensions between China and the US.
The push for closer trade and security co-operation from Macron, who arrived in Vietnam late on Sunday, is intended to contrast with an increasingly militarily assertive China and the imposition of tariffs by US President Donald Trump on export-reliant countries in the region.
“With France, you have a known, reliable and trustworthy friend . . . and in the times we are living through, that alone has great value,” Macron said on Monday.
About 14 contracts were signed for co-operation in defence, civilian aviation, transport and energy, among others. Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong said the defence partnership involved “sharing of information on strategic matters”.
Trump last month hit Vietnam, Indonesia and other south-east Asian countries with some of his highest “reciprocal” tariff rates after China. While the US president has temporarily paused those levies, the region’s search for new trade opportunities could strengthen ties with the EU.
A French official said Macron would emphasise that the EU still backs international trade rules, unlike the current US administration. “We do not want a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails,” the official said.
Security concerns will also be high on the agenda, given China’s increasingly assertive naval presence in the South China Sea and tensions with Taiwan.
Macron has in the past focused diplomatic efforts on countries including China — where he made a state visit in 2023 — India and Japan, as part of his strategy of positioning France as an Indo-Pacific power.
France has several overseas territories in the Indo-Pacific, including La Réunion and Mayotte, which are home to about 1.7mn people. Its naval frigates conduct patrols in the South China Sea and the country has several military bases in the vast region.
Vietnam and Singapore already have free trade agreements with the EU, while Indonesia has been in talks to establish one.
Vietnam, which has emerged as a manufacturing powerhouse amid a global production shift from China, in October upgraded relations with France to the status of “comprehensive strategic partnership” — the highest level of diplomatic ties offered by Hanoi.
Rattled by Trump’s threatened 46 per cent tariff, Vietnam is stepping up efforts to diversify trade from the US, which accounts for a third of its exports, and to sign free trade agreements with countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Vietnam is also hoping its independent foreign policy — described as “bamboo diplomacy” for its “strong roots” and “flexible branches” — combined with an ability to balance its ties with superpowers, will help secure trade deals.
A contract for VietJet airline to buy 20 new A330neo aeroplanes from Airbus was signed on Monday, doubling its earlier order. France and Vietnam also agreed to work together on satellite projects.
After Vietnam, Macron will head to resource-rich Indonesia, where President Prabowo Subianto is seeking foreign investments to spur a slowing economy. Indonesia has previously bought French defence equipment, including Rafale fighter jets and Scorpène submarines, as it seeks to reduce its historic reliance on Russian weapons.
“There may be other contracts announced during the trip,” said Céline Pajon, who heads Japan and Indo-Pacific research at the French Institute of International Relations think-tank. “France and Indonesia intend to raise the defence partnership into something long-term and structural.”
The Indonesian government said this month that Macron’s visit reflected “the commitment of both countries to enhance co-operation in facing global challenges”.
Macron plans to discuss diversification of France’s access to materials critical for the production of smartphones and semiconductors while in Indonesia, a major producer of such minerals, the French official said.
During his final stop of his South-east Asian trip in Singapore, Macron will give a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s largest defence forum.
“It is the first time a European leader has been invited to give this speech, and it is in recognition of how Macron has developed a real Indo-Pacific strategy. He also encouraged the EU to adopt one as well,” Pajon said.
