How will Michel Barnier influence France’s China policy – and is he supposed to?
Despite his experience as a former foreign minister, France’s new PM is seen as a compromise choice without real power
Despite his reputation as a veteran centre-right politician, the 73-year-old Barnier – who became the oldest prime minister in the history of modern France when he took office earlier this month – was expected to have little sway on foreign policy decisions, they said.
Wang Yiwei, a Europe specialist and professor of international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University, said Barnier was a compromise choice and likely to be a transitional figure.
“Like his predecessors, Barnier is expected to be responsible mainly for economic and internal affairs, without much real power, especially in diplomacy, which is controlled by Macron himself,” he said.
According to a survey published on Sunday by French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, 52 per cent of respondents were satisfied with Barnier’s appointment, but 74 per cent believed he would not last long in the post.
The Ifop poll was released after more than 100,000 left-wing demonstrators rallied across France on Saturday to protest against the nomination of Barnier as prime minister and to denounce Macron’s “power grab”.
