Macron: France Rejects Hegemony, Confrontation in Asia

French President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to "confrontation" as he outlined his vision for France's engagement with the Asia-Pacific region.

"We don't believe in hegemony, we don't believe in confrontation, we believe in stability," Macron said during his speech on Friday at the 21-strong Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok

Macron highlighted France’s desire to play a stabilizing role in the region to avert confrontation, affirming that all regional powers should play a role.

"We are in the jungle and we have two big elephants, trying to become more and more nervous," the French leader noted. "If they become very nervous and start a war it will be a big problem for the rest of the jungle. You need cooperation of a lot of other animals: tigers, monkeys, and so on."

In addition, he pointed out that the international community was facing overlapping crises, from climate change to economic turmoil, stressing that a coordinated response was needed.

"Our Indo-Pacific strategy is how to provide dynamic balance in this environment," the president concluded.