In Southeast Asia, Macron's mini-marathon for contracts and against the "law of the strongest"

Three state visits in five days and "dozens of agreements and contracts in numerous sectors." The President of the Republic is embarking on a rare visit to Southeast Asia starting May 25, with the aim of reaffirming his commitment to the Indo-Pacific, "diversifying value and supply chains," and proposing "new impetus" to the region's states.

In the eyes of the Élysée Palace, this trip represents an "opportunity" in the current context of the Asia-Pacific region caught between the United States and China. Paris wants to make its voice heard between "extremely strong (American) pressure via the trade measures announced by President Trump " and an "increasingly assertive China," particularly on "trade and territorial disputes" with many countries in the region.

First in Vietnam (May 25-27), then in Indonesia (May 28-29) and finally in Singapore (May 29-30), France intends to position itself as a "reliable partner, committed to sovereignty issues and respectful of the independence" of these states. This clarification makes sense as we commemorate this year the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, which brought together, in Indonesia, around thirty countries advocating