A hand stretched out towards the “Indo-Pacific”.
Emmanuel Macron will take off on Sunday for a long journey in Asia, from the G20 summit in Bali to that of Apec in Bangkok.
He will then continue next Saturday with the 18th Summit of La Francophonie in Djerba, Tunisia, the opportunity "to discuss with our partners" on "advances" and "ways of future cooperation", according to the Elysée.
Before that, in Bali, Indonesia, Ukraine will be at the center of discussions at the G20, or rather G19, on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a major absentee, Vladimir Putin, who after a long suspense finally forfeited.
With Jinping, but not with Biden
Paris is waiting for a clear message from the "club of 20" towards Russia, which must enter as quickly as possible into "a logic of de-escalation", explained the French presidency on Friday.
A number of G20 countries such as China and India have so far remained very cautious, refusing to condemn the Russian offensive in Ukraine or indirectly expressing reservations as the conflict takes hold.
The French president, who will arrive in Bali on Monday evening, will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, as well as with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
A bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden is "not formalized at this stage".
But Emmanuel Macron is expected on December 1 at the White House for a state visit.
The French presidency also did not specify whether he would exchange with the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, whom Joe Biden for his part excluded from meeting after a decision by OPEC + favorable to Russia.
The center of the world
Emmanuel Macron will then travel to Bangkok for a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (Apec), Thursday and Friday, where France will be the first European state invited.
Apec brings together 21 countries, from China, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam to Canada, the United States and Chile.
This "historic" invitation marks the "recognition" by the countries of the zone of our "Indo-Pacific agenda", considers the French presidency.
Emmanuel Macron has made this vast area stretching from the East African coasts to the West American coasts a strategic priority, and where France has many territories and maritime areas.
All eyes are on this nerve center of world trade, the scene of a growing rivalry between China and the United States, which will house 60% of the world's population and GDP in 2030.
Exist in a gigantic area
France holds most of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) there, the second in the world, around seven territories, from Reunion to New Caledonia, where it has 1.65 million nationals.
"It is a question of preserving France's interests and room for maneuver in the context of the confrontation between Chinese and American behemoths", notes Céline Pajon, coordinator of the Oceania and Central Asia program at the French Institute of International Relations. (Ifri).
To do this, Paris plays on several levers, military, diplomatic, economic, and forges privileged relations with certain key countries in the region: India, Japan, Indonesia.
France also intends to be active in the defense of the seabed, the fight against the climate crisis and biodiversity.
But with only 7,000 soldiers in such a vast area, it also remains very constrained in its means.
“It is today in a posture of minimum service”, estimates Admiral Pascal Ausseur, director general of the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies (FMES).
The snub of the submarines
In 2021, Australia's alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom and the cancellation by Canberra of a mega-contract for French submarines also dealt a blow to Emmanuel Macron's strategy in the area.
But Paris has been working to rebuild ties since the change of Prime Minister in Camberra in May.
And may well be in line again for the sale of submarines to Australia.
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