France’s Macron says globalization is going through a major crisis

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures during a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, 2016, when he was French finance minister.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that globalization is facing a “major crisis” and that collective action is needed to confront the challenge.

“Let us not be naive, globalization is going through a major crisis and this challenge needs to be collectively fought by states and civil society in order to find and implement global solutions,” he said.

“I want to come here (to Davos) to make a call to action. France has been affected by structural change and this relationship with globalization,” he added.

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Macron was tipped as the European leader to watch at the Forum, particularly as he appears to be the strongest leader in the region at the moment while Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel continues in her long-running attempt to form a coalition government with a rival party.

Macron is also taking an increasingly visible presence on the global stage, having traveled to China earlier in January and the U.K. last week.

He is seen as a keen globalist and proponent of free trade and during his recent trip to China emphasized the need for reciprocal open trade agreements when meeting President Xi Jinping.