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Opinion
Lionel Laurent

After Scholz in China, Look Out for Macron in America

The French president has an opportunity to improve Trump-frayed ties with the US — and help Europe too.

French President Emmanuel Macron at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Bangkok.

French President Emmanuel Macron at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Bangkok.

Photographer: Andre Malerba/Bloomberg

As transatlantic symbols go, Emmanuel Macron’s upcoming visit to Washington DC will hopefully have a more positive aura than the recent phone call between Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The two leaders discussed Scholz’s recent widely-criticized trip to China and expressed a “shared” commitment to upholding the international rules-based order. Both have raised Taiwan, human rights and Ukraine with Xi Jinping.