Pacific nations to establish a "new coalition" to counter the "constraints and side effects" stemming from the growing U.S.-China rivalry. Macron's speech came as the European leader sought to play up the country as a counterweight to the two superpowers.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that division between the two superpowers, the United States and China, is the main risk currently confronting the world as he emphasised the need for building new coalitions between Paris and partners in the Indo-Pacific.

France’s president called for a new partnership between European and Asian nations to protect the rules-based international order and avoid being ‘collateral victims’ of the two superpowers.

A series of exchanges marked a new low point in the relationship between France and Israel, which accused the French president of “a crusade against the Jewish state.”

Toughen Stance on Israel if It Continues Blocking Gaza Aid, Macron Says SINGAPORE (Reuters) -France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday,

During a three-hour televised interview earlier in May, Macron said Europe should consider sanctioning Israel over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands are thought to be now facing starvation.