French president delivers veiled warning to Beijing during speech in Singapore.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned China that NATO could become more deeply involved in Asia if Beijing does not do more to stop North Korea from taking part in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“North Korea in Ukraine is a big question for all of us. If China doesn’t want NATO to be involved in Southeast Asia, it should prevent [North Korea] from being engaged on European soil,” Macron said Friday during an address at a major defense summit in Singapore.
Because North Korea doesn’t make any geopolitical moves without asking China first. They are by far their primary trade partner and arguably closest ally, with literally the only defense treaty to China out of all countries in the world.
Troops getting to Russia in order to fight alongside them in their invasion of Ukraine have to either pass through China for the shorter route, or go through the tiny 17km sliver of Russia-NK border on the far east of the Asian continent that China monitors very closely (more likely). Either way, China is giving their approval to NK for the troop movements.
Okay, but where does Southeast Asia come into any of this?
It’s metaphoric. Macron is saying “if you don’t stay out of our geopolitical backyard, we will become more closely involved in yours”.
China is increasingly invested politically and financially throughout SEA (Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and more).
Okay. Kind of gross still
More gross than China enabling North Korea to send troops to help Russia attack Ukraine?
Not even close IMO.
The same gross, there isn’t an active war in Southeast Asia [but there is an active genocide in Myanmar that nobody wants to touch], so if they want to retaliate they should do it on the Korean border.