French President Emmanuel Macron called on Indo-Pacific nations to establish a "new coalition" to counter the "constraints and side effects" stemming from the growing U.S.-China rivalry. Macron's speech came as the European leader sought to play up the country as a counterweight to the two superpowers.

A series of exchanges marked a new low point in the relationship between France and Israel, which accused the French president of “a crusade against the Jewish state.”