Lunchtime observations during a visit to the United States
“Semester” in US protectionist trade policy
Mentioned at the summit
The face smiles… French President Emmanuel Macron (behind), who visited the United States, smiles and talks with US President Joe Biden on the 30th (local time). Washington | UPI Yonhap News
On the 30th of last month (local time), French President Emmanuel Macron, on a visit to the United States, strongly criticized the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires subsidies only for North American electric vehicles, calling it “very aggressive” . President Macron is expected to raise issues with the IRA at a summit with President Joe Biden the next day.
The AFP news agency reported that President Macron told a working lunch for congressional and business leaders at the Library of Congress in Washington that he was “very aggressive towards French businessmen” regarding the IRA subsidies. “The IRA may solve America’s problems, but it will make France’s problems bigger,” Macron said. I’m sorry I was so direct.”
He also said that there is a middle class in France that needs work. The Biden administration is interpreted to have expressed dissatisfaction with the revival of high-tech manufacturing in the United States and has pushed for regulations on American manufacturing under the banner of “foreign policy for the middle class.” AFP reported that President Macron also said: “I just want to be respected as a good friend (of the United States).”
President Macron then met with French embassy staff in Washington, where he said he supported the IRA’s environmental goals, but that “IRA subsidy provisions could divide the West”.
White House spokeswoman Curin Janfair said the IRA “benefits European energy security and businesses” and said “it’s not a zero-sum game.”
President Macron’s words, which arrived a day before the summit with the United States, predict that he will strongly oppose the protectionist position of the United States represented by the IRA. South Korea, Japan and the European Union (EU) have criticized the IRA rule, which excludes non-US electric vehicles from tax credits, as a discriminatory measure.
The EU is pressuring the US to find a sincere solution, such as suspending the application of the IRA clause, ahead of the US-EU Technical Trade Committee (TTC) meeting to be held in the US on 5. France, in particular, has the strongest position in the EU. France is driving public opinion that if the IRA problem is not resolved, the “By-European Act” should be enacted to protect the EU market.
President Macron is the first overseas leader to pay a state visit to the United States since President Biden took office. President Macron holds joint press conference and official dinner after the summit with President Biden on 1.
