France and U.S. Are Allies With Different Voices, French Ambassador to China Says

France’s top diplomat in China said the European nation does not always hold the same view as the U.S. on international affairs, in comments explaining the French president’s position of “strategic autonomy” for Europe amid heightened tensions between China and the U.S.

“France is a loyal ally of the United States, but France also has its own analysis of the world,” French Ambassador to China Bertrand Lortholary said during a press meeting with Chinese media last week, adding that France and the U.S. are “allies with different voices.”