On May 4, two days before China’s President Xi Jinping arrived in France for his May 6-7 state visit, Mandarin TV—a Chinese internet TV channel run out of France and accessible throughout Europe—aired a 19-minute interview with Jacques Cheminade. The interview was conducted by Camille Chen, main editorialist of the chain, for their program “60 Years-60 Viewpoints,” devoted to the celebration of diplomatic relations between France and China since Jan. 27, 2964, by Charles de Gaulle and Mao Zedong. With a vision of the future, Cheminade raised key questions and ideas to allow for a better understanding between the Presidents, and for a sharper intervention into the very troubled world of today. Here is a summary of the interview.
Cheminade responded to the question of what he expected from the visit, saying: “We should expect a lot, because we are at a moment of history when there is an immediate risk of war—one can see it in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Africa.” This is the kind of situation where “reasonable countries with reasonable leaders must come together and propose a policy of peace through mutual development. We think that we need a new international security and development architecture for the world…. Countries such as France and China must promote this initiative, along with the Global South…. We are not yet at that point, for chat concerns the French government.” Cheminade also pointed out that President Xi Jinping would next visit Serbia and Hungary, which can be seen as possible mediators in the war in Ukraine.
Cheminade added that “a more sentimental question has been introduced in the trip, since Macron had invited President Xi Jinping to the Hautes Pyrénées department,” a special location for its connection to Macron’s grandmother. “President Macron has great love for his grandmother…. When Macron was elected President in 2022, he was asked where he would make his first trip. Macron responded that for international affairs he would travel to those countries, but within France, he said he would first visit the tomb of his grandmother in the Hautes Pyrénées department. Some scorned him … but I don’t think one should. On the contrary, it reflects Macron’s will, at a time when he’s thinking that he should not miss his coming out in history. And in order not to miss that occasion, his friendship with China is essential.”
Moving to the war in Ukraine, Chen asked Cheminade to describe the very different positions of France and China. Cheminade said that the starting point for peace should be China’s Feb. 24, 2023, twelve-point peace plan, which he reviewed for the audience, starting with the need to respect national sovereignty. “What is most interesting in that plan are the economic aspects, the need to save the world economy, to stop unilateral sanctions, which never hurt the leaders of nations but only the people; the need to guarantee the stability of the international chains of production, both financially and in terms of their productivity; and finally, the reconstruction after the conflict.”
“The problem on the side of President Macron, is that, unfortunately, he abandoned the discussions he had held with President Putin. Why? There are two main reasons,” he said. “He thinks that one day he will become a kind of leader of the New Europe, and to become that, he must make concessions to the Eastern European countries which fear Russia. Then, he wants to remain in NATO—that’s a much more serious matter—without confronting the Anglo-Americans who run NATO. If he wants to remain in NATO and be the chief in Europe, he must adopt a maximalist position within NATO, and that explains why he’s calling for sending boots on the ground, 2,000 men, to Ukraine. This is unacceptable to the Russians.”
