Time for France to talk trade

France’s announcement that its ambassador, Jean-Pierre Thebault, is returning to Canberra is a welcome sign after the needless contretemps that followed Australia’s cancellation of its $90bn submarine contract with Paris. Mr Thebault’s recall by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was ill-judged. What was required following the launch of the new AUKUS pact on September 15 was sensible discussion between two longstanding allies. The ambassador’s return would be more convincing, however, if France had not cold-shouldered Trade Minister Dan Tehan on his current visit to Paris. French Trade Minister Franck Riester’s incomprehensible refusal to meet Mr Tehan, who has been attending a meeting of the OECD led by Mathias Cormann, makes no sense beyond being a display of Gallic pique. Only the Chinese Trade Minister, in an unrelenting attempt to coerce Australia over Scott Morrison’s call for a proper inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, has turned an undiplomatic tin ear when asked to meet successive Australian trade ministers.

Mr Le Drian said Mr Thebault was returning with two objectives. They are to help define France’s relationship with Australia and to “ defend our interests in the implementation of Australia’s decision to terminate the submarine program”. Fair enough. That is what ambassadors do.

Both sides must be clear about the security threats we face as freedom-loving democracies from communist Chinese militarism and aggression. French Foreign Ministry documents show about 1.5 million French citizens live in the Indo-Pacific region in France’s extensive economic zone. The French Foreign Ministry has emphasised that “the global economy’s centre of gravity has shifted from the Atlantic to the Pacific”, where France has an enormous stake.

The Prime Minister has made it clear that Australia understands France’s disappointment over the subs contract. But the Macron government needs to understand that Australia being equipped with the best nuclear-powered subs is also in France’s interest as it faces inevitable threats to the sovereignty of French territories in the Indo-Pacific. As British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently advised French President Emmanuel Macron when he told the French leader to “donnez-moi un break” (give me a break), AUKUS “is fundamentally a great step forward for global security”, not just the security of Australia, Britain and the US.