French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to assert itself on the world stage, saying it is time to start acting like a “power”.

In the face of growing threats from China, Russia and now the US, he told a group of European newspapers that the continent faced a “wake-up call”.

"Are we ready to become a power? This is the question in the field of economy and finance, in defence and security, and in our democratic systems.

“In another era we might have said it is the moment to ‘assume our majority’,” he said ahead of an EU summit in Brussels later this week.

    • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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      18 hours ago

      Not all threats are military. China is the economic threat but it also has military might.

      EDIT: From the article.

      "Are we ready to become a power? This is the question in the field of economy and finance, in defence and security, and in our democratic systems.

    • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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      13 hours ago

      China may not be perceived as a military threat, but it is credibly an economic threat. China is returning to a state where Europe has difficulty conducting trade with China as China will only accept natural resources for trade. That can be dangerous for an economy with a large safety net, declining productivity, and little in terms of natural resources.

    • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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      15 hours ago

      Because they like imperialism. All the imperialistic superpowers are a threat to humanity.