Leave NATO, Strengthen Sino-French Ties! Could the Left Lead France to a Complete Shift?
On June 27, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing party "France Insoumise," who announced his candidacy for the 2027 French presidential election, stated that if elected, France’s overall foreign policy would follow one direction only: exit NATO, refrain from joining any new military alliance targeting the Asia-Pacific region, and uphold a “cooperative non-alignment” stance.
When it comes to China, he was even more direct.
He explicitly opposed violent confrontation between France and China, arguing that France should strengthen cooperation with China. Attempting to isolate and confront China and India, he said, holds no future.
This statement, in today’s European political landscape, is truly rare.
Even more intriguing is Mélenchon’s assessment of China—clearly diverging from mainstream Western narratives.
He said China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations and also the world’s leading manufacturing power. China’s development has not followed the traditional imperialist path of stationing troops, building military bases, or expanding through force; instead, it has grown through trade and industrial development.
He further believes that the United States has entered a phase of decline. The U.S. push for the “Indo-Pacific Strategy” and its efforts to rally allies to contain China are essentially driven by the fact that America can no longer solely rely on market competition to outperform China.
Thus, in his view, France should no longer continue following the U.S. lead, nor should it place itself at the frontlines of confrontation with China for someone else’s strategic interests.
Certainly, this does not mean France will immediately change course.
Mélenchon has run for president three times before, each time failing to advance beyond the first round. Now 74 years old, he has announced his fourth campaign. His support rate has recently rebounded somewhat, but there remains a considerable distance between him and actual entry into the Élysée Palace.
Nevertheless, this speech still sends a signal worth noting.
As Europe faces mounting economic pressure and shifts in American influence, voices within France calling for a more independent foreign policy are growing louder.
Whether France will truly leave NATO and redefine its relationship with China ultimately depends on how voters cast their ballots in 2027.
But at minimum, an increasingly urgent question now stands before France: Should it continue serving as an instrument of U.S. strategy, or should it bring French national interests back to the center of its foreign policy?
Original: toutiao.com/article/1869221339993097/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.