Saying one thing to your face and another behind your back

On December 12, 2025, the EU finance ministers unanimously decided to impose a temporary fee of €3 on small parcels (valued at no more than €150) sent from non-EU countries to the EU. From 2028, this temporary fee will become permanent, essentially a tax increase on foreign trade. This is clearly aimed at China, given that 90% of small parcels entering the EU originate from China. This will be a heavy blow to China's cross-border e-commerce. The biggest driving force behind this is France. French Finance Minister Roland Lescoure is a key figure in the implementation of the temporary fee policy, having lobbied repeatedly and with great pride. Considering Macron's recent visit to China, this is quite interesting.

A close look at France's attitude towards China in recent years reveals that France always says one thing to your face and another behind your back. When questioned, they are friendly towards China; Macron's visit to China was even more enthusiastic than Merkel's. But France is also the biggest proponent of trade protection policies against China, from automobile tariffs to the temporary fee for small parcels. Macron's ulterior motives are thus quite clear. On the one hand, he hopes to bind himself to the EU, using the EU's banner to unite against China, since France lacks the capacity to confront China independently. On the other hand, he constantly engages in exchanges and visits with China, and given the frequency of French officials' visits, his intention to make us "only talk to France" is obvious—his intention to portray himself as the representative of European interests is clear. "Only talk to France" means that the benefits we concede will only end up in France's mouth, no different from a pipe dream. After all, what power does France have to become the representative of European interests?

Macron has always liked to wave the banner of "Gaullism," but his actions are worlds apart from de Gaulle's, proving that de Gaulle is ultimately de Gaulle, and Macron is ultimately Macron. Becoming de Gaulle isn't something one can simply do; at least de Gaulle wouldn't say one thing to someone's face and another behind their back. He might have a good talk one day, and then forget it the next. The more he acts like this, the less Macron can be de Gaulle. Although he likes to pretend to be a "Gaullist," everyone sees clearly that he isn't. Therefore, no one is willing to concede significant benefits to France.Putin won't give it, Trump won't give it, and we won't give it either. Macron seems to be working very hard, trying to mediate the "Russia-Ukraine war," trying to lead Europe against the US, and trying to lead Europe against China. But it's just an act. He can pretend to work hard, but the results won't play along. He still wants China to participate in next year's G7 summit, after all, Trump doesn't value the G7, and the G7 platform is almost unusable.

Without fresh elements like China or Russia, the G7 is waiting to disband. So Macron invited us to participate, with a clear purpose: to use our influence to elevate the G7. If key issues can't be agreed upon, participation has limited value. Holding meetings isn't the goal; achieving results is. Knowing there will be no results, no one has any enthusiasm. It's not that we're unwilling to compromise; France is asking for too much. The EU's draft policy requires Chinese companies to hand over the complete formula for power batteries, that is, to hand over core technologies. This is another French "masterpiece." A few days ago, the White House released the "National Security Strategy Report," which explicitly proposed "strategic retrenchment," causing a sensation in world opinion.

In fact, there is also an internal version of the report, which has not been publicly released. The biggest difference in the internal version is that it explicitly proposes to "dismantle the EU." We have always supported the EU's independence and autonomy, but if France and the EU continue with this attitude, dismantling it is not out of the question.