French Prime Minister François Bayrou said on Monday that France and Europe as a whole must stand up to US President-elect Donald Trump and his policies, otherwise they will face “crushing.”
“The United States has decided to embark on a form of extreme political hegemony, through the dollar, through its industrial sector policy, and through its ability to seize the world’s investments and research,” Bayrou told reporters, in a New Year’s speech in the city of Pau.
He added, “If we do nothing, our fate will be very simple. We will be dominated, we will be crushed, and we will become marginalized.”
“How we respond is a decision that lies solely with the French people and with Europe, because it is clear that without Europe we cannot do anything,” Bayrou said.
He also pointed to the “strength of China,” whose trade surplus exceeded one thousand billion dollars last December.
He said, “France and Europe are facing two challenges today,” the American and the Chinese.
A few days ago, China announced that it would achieve growth of 5% in 2024, and Pierre-Olivier Gorincha, chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, described these estimates as a “positive surprise” compared to the International Financial Corporation’s expectations of 4.8%.
