Macron Courts Southeast Asia Nations Trapped by US-China Dispute
Luong Cuong, second right, raises a toast with Emmanuel Macron during a state dinner in Hanoi on May 26.
Photographer: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty ImagesFrench President Emmanuel Macron is spearheading the latest effort by European leaders to woo Southeast Asian nations worried about becoming collateral damage in the US trade war and security disputes between Washington and Beijing.
Macron already announced €9 billion ($10.3 billion) in deals and promises of closer defense cooperation on a visit to Vietnam on Monday. He’ll aim to build on that momentum later this week in Indonesia and then in Singapore, where he’s giving a keynote address to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum on Friday.