All eyes on Macron as he sets to visit Netherlands after row over Europe comment in China

Amsterdam: French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the Netherlands on Tuesday where his speech will be keenly followed as he made a controversial remark about Europe during his China visit. Macron, during his three-day visit to China, said that Europe should not become a “follower” of either China or the US and avoid getting involved in any conflict between the two countries over Taiwan. His recent comments are expected to overshadow a two-day visit to the Netherlands where the president is meant to highlight a new dynamic between  Paris and The Hague after the turning point of Brexit. Macron, who is accompanied by his wife Brigitte and seven ministers, will dine with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, see the hot-ticket Johannes Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and meet Prime Minister Mark Rutte on a canal boat. But eyes will now be on the French president’s speech on “European sovereignty” in security and economic matters on Tuesday afternoon at the Dutch Nexus Institute in The Hague. He will use the address to present “a doctrine of economic security” against China and the United States, amid European unease over US climate subsidies. The speech comes after Macron said in an interview with media including French business daily Les Echos and Politico that “we don’t want to depend on others on critical issues”, citing energy, artificial intelligence and social networks. Macron’s comments in the same interview on Taiwan, that Europe risks entanglement in “crises that aren’t ours” and should “depend less on the Americans” in matters of defence, have raised questions, like his past remarks on Ukraine. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.