Delivering the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron adopted a slightly more skeptical assessment of China.

Macron repeatedly emphasized that France doesn’t “want to be confrontational with China.” Instead, he wants “de-risking, no confrontation, but clearly strategic autonomy.” This reference to strategic autonomy is a long-standing Macron narrative. It reflects his belief that the European Union must adopt a separate foreign policy pathway outside of the traditional U.S.-led orbit. But relevant to the Pacific arena, Macron often uses the term to woo China in the belief that he resists U.S. efforts to constrain Chinese threats. Macron has also leveraged France’s membership in international fora such as the G7 to protect Chinese interests.