Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned China for using economic coercion to intimidate Australia, labelling the tactics a flagrant breach of international law.
Welcoming Prime Minister Scott Morrison to the Elysee Palace on Tuesday evening local time, Macron offered some of the strongest public backing of any world leader since the disintegration of the relationship between Canberra and the rising superpower.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison ahead of a working dinner in Paris.Credit:AP
You are at the forefront of the tensions that exist in the region, of the threats, and sometimes of the intimidation, and I want to reiterate here how much we stand by your side, the President said.
I would like to reiterate how committed France remains to defending the balance in the Indo-Pacific region and how much we consider the partnership we have with Australia to be at the heart of this Indo-Pacific strategy.
As a token of friendship and solidarity, and as we discussed together during the G7, we firmly reject any coercive economic measures taken against Australia in flagrant violation of international law.
Macron did not name any country specifically but his unusually strong language and repeated mentions of the Indo-Pacific were obvious references to China.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is in Paris for 24 hours before flying back to Australia. Credit:AP
The regime of President Xi Jinping has applied trade bans and tariffs on more than $20 billion worth of Australian exports recently after Canberra ramped up its criticism of Beijing.
Earlier in London, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also backed Australia in its tussle with Beijing but warned the world still had to work with it.