Visits To Asia Including Indonesia, French President Macron Hopes For Defense To Technology Agreement
French President Emmanuel Macron hopes to reach an agreement for France in areas such as defense, energy, and technological innovation, as he arrives in Vietnam to start a week-long journey in Asia.
Macron arrived in Hanoi on Sunday, May 25, marking the first trip to Vietnam by a French president in nearly a decade.
After Vietnam, Macron will travel to Indonesia and end his visit to Singapore, where he will speak at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's highest defense conference.
Macron's visit comes as France and the European Union seek to strengthen their commercial relations in Asia to offset uncertainty over US President Donald Trump's tariff measures.
"I came here to strengthen our relations in key areas - defense, innovation, energy transition, and cultural exchange," Macron wrote on X.
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Macron will show France and Europe as defenders of rule-based international cooperation and trade, when other world powers such as the US under Trump and China use a more "coercive" or "predator" method.
"France is a reliable partner, who believes in dialogue and cooperation," Macron wrote.