Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
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.
“France, along with the European Union, represents a partner that is both reliable, committed to issues of sovereignty, and respectful of their independence,” an official in the Elysée palace said ahead of the trip.
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.
The 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 Reunion 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.
The 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.
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.
In Hanoi, Macron is expected to discuss co-operation on economy, defence, security, and energy, according to Vietnamese state media. An agreement on a power transmission line is among one of the deals expected to be signed.
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 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 in a statement 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 production of smartphones and semiconductors while in Indonesia, a major producer of such minerals, the French official said.
During his final stop of the 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.
