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France’s chief of defense staff, Army General Francois Lecointre, spoke of the dangers that come from forces that challenge international stability and law, particularly Russia, China and Iran.
“We are moving towards a reorganization of the world order structured around the rivalry between the United States and China,” the general said in an interview with Le Figaro.
He added that each country will be called upon to choose a party.
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“It will be very difficult because neither France nor Europe is interested in it. While our relationship with the United States cannot be questioned, what is important, we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into the nuanced confrontation that may arise between China and the United States,” he said. as quoted from Russia Today, Sunday (23/5/2021).
Asked whether Europeans would have strategic autonomy, Lecointre said the EU was originally built around economic ties, and the forging of a common political identity would no doubt be more difficult in the short term.
“We are at a turning point,” said the general.
“Europe will remain what it is today, eventually disappear from the international stage, or it will be able to live up to the security expectations of its citizens,” he added.
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The US and China have clashed on many issues in recent years, including trade, Hong Kong and Taiwan. US officials, among others, have put pressure on European countries to remove Chinese telecommunications technology from their markets.
French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this year that it would be “counterproductive” for the EU to firmly join the US in its rivalry with Beijing.
Lecointre also said that, like China, Russia is a very dangerous competitor when it comes to submarines and ballistic missiles.
“Moscow continues to want to undermine our democratic model by acting in the digital sphere and the sphere of influence,” he pointed out.
“Today, the presence of Russia, Turkey or China in Africa is worrying and destabilizing,” said Lecointre.
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Russia currently has about 500 military instructors and advisers in the Central African Republic, a former French colony, where it helps troops fight various rebel groups. Russia has always maintained that its soldiers are officially present in the country, because they are there by order of its government.
Speaking about the role of foreign powers in Africa, Macron told Jeune Afrique magazine last year that Russia and Turkey were playing with post-colonial hatred of France.
(ian)
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