Embattled Macron Heads to China, Leaving Burning Paris Behind

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a ceremony in tribute to French GIGN gendarme Marechal des Logis-Chef Arnaud Blanc, at the French National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) base of Versailles-Satory in Versailles, west of Paris, France, 31 March 2023. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a ceremony in tribute to French GIGN gendarme Marechal des Logis-Chef Arnaud Blanc, at the French National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) base of Versailles-Satory in Versailles, west of Paris, France, 31 March 2023. (EPA)
TT
20

Embattled Macron Heads to China, Leaving Burning Paris Behind

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a ceremony in tribute to French GIGN gendarme Marechal des Logis-Chef Arnaud Blanc, at the French National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) base of Versailles-Satory in Versailles, west of Paris, France, 31 March 2023. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a ceremony in tribute to French GIGN gendarme Marechal des Logis-Chef Arnaud Blanc, at the French National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) base of Versailles-Satory in Versailles, west of Paris, France, 31 March 2023. (EPA)

French President Emmanuel Macron will head to China next week for a rare visit to the rising superpower, in an awkward balancing act between his global statesman ambitions and his struggle to contain embarrassing pension protests at home.

The French leader, whose decision to ram much-disputed pension legislation through parliament earlier this month sparked clashes and violence in French cities, is trying to keep his busy diplomatic schedule on track.

But the chaotic scenes of burning piles of rubbish in Paris, which were broadcast around the world, have already forced Macron to cancel a state visit by Britain's King Charles, an embarrassment which did not go unnoticed in diplomatic circles.

"It's a very prestigious thing to host the first visit abroad of the King of England, it doesn't happen every day. If you can't pull it off, it's a problem," the ambassador of a European country told Reuters.

"It's clear it is weakening him," another EU diplomat said. "It's hard to measure the impact, but there is one."

The protests, which will see unions stage an 11th nationwide strike during Macron's time in Beijing, come as the French president is trying to regain the initiative on the war in Ukraine and play a leadership role in Europe.

That hasn't escaped Chinese observers.

"The protests bring a large amount of risk and France needs a diplomatic highlight, especially since it wants to play the role of Europe's leader," said Wang Yiwei, director of the Centre for European Studies at Renmin University in China.

Macron will also need to keep in mind China's tactic of playing divide and rule, said a non-Western diplomat who suggested China may try to use the trip to place a wedge in the Western camp and lure France away from the United States.

Red line on Russia

For his part, Macron wants to send a clear warning to his counterpart Xi Jinping, who was hosted at the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, that Europe will not accept China providing arms to Russia, now a year into its invasion of Ukraine.

"Our message will be clear: There may be a temptation to get closer to Russia, but do not cross that line," a senior French diplomat said.

Analysts say Putin's decision to station nuclear weapons in Belarus can provide an opportunity for France to push China to distance itself from Russia on this point, Beijing having long denounced nuclear proliferation.

"France is a nuclear power, it's got this card to play," Antoine Bondaz of the France-based FRS think-tank.

However, a Brussels-based diplomat said many in Europe were doubtful he could be successful in his previously stated aim of nudging China to put pressure on Moscow to end the war. "Many in Brussels roll their eyes when you bring that up," he said.

French diplomats are playing down the impact the protests at home could have on Macron's credibility abroad. They point out Xi faced his own protests at the end of last year, in a rare show of civil disobedience over COVID-19 restrictions.

"The Chinese will play a fine balancing act. They need a good relationship with Europe so will not want to play on Macron's internal problems," another French diplomat said.

Amid worsening relations between Washington and Beijing, which reached fever pitch last month after the US shot down a Chinese balloon flying over its territory, Europe is trying to carve its own path.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who will be accompanying Macron in Beijing, said the bloc was looking to "de-risk" diplomatically and economically at a time China was exerting greater control over companies, without "decoupling".

Analysts say China's deteriorating relationship with the US gives Europe a bit more leverage, with the EU's vast single market becoming more crucial for China.

That can provide an opportunity for Macron, who has pushed Europe to bolster its "strategic autonomy," but is also hoping France and the rest of the EU can benefit from a reopening Chinese economy after years of pandemic.

"Macron can deliver a message that Europe wants to engage with China, but that it's going to be difficult if China continues down the path that it's currently on with Russia," Noah Barkin, an analyst with Rhodium Group, said.



Amid Ethical Concerns, Israel’s Unmanned Bulldozers Breaking Ground in Gaza War

An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

Amid Ethical Concerns, Israel’s Unmanned Bulldozers Breaking Ground in Gaza War

An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. (AFP)

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the bulky bulldozer turning up soil at a testing site in central Israel, but as it pulled closer it became clear: the driver's cabin is eerily empty.

This is the Robdozer, a fortified engineering vehicle manned remotely, and in this case operated from a military expo halfway across the globe in Alabama.

Army engineers and military experts say that the Robdozer -- the robotic version of Caterpillar's D9 bulldozer -- is the future of automated combat.

The Israeli military has used D9 for years to carry out frontline tasks like trowelling roads for advancing troops, removing rubble and flattening terrain.

But since war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 and later in Lebanon, the Israeli military has increasingly deployed this robotic version in a bid to enhance its field operations and reduce the risks to its troops.

"The idea is to eliminate the person from the cockpit of the dozer," said Rani, whose team at the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries developed the Robdozer.

During the Gaza war, the military has increasingly opted for the unmanned version, which can carry out a full range of tasks "even better than a human", said Rani, using his first name only for security reasons.

While such vehicles and other systems are currently operated by humans, future versions could be autonomous, raising ethical and legal concerns over the unchartered future of warfare being shaped by the Israeli military in the Gaza war.

Israel's increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defense systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticized for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law.

Analysts say the growing Israeli deployment of the Robdozer reflects broader global trends towards automation in heavy combat vehicles, like remote-controlled personnel carriers that operate much like drones.

An Israeli military official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told AFP that the army has been using "robotic tools for over a decade, but in very small numbers. Now it is being used in large-scale warfare".

Troops can now operate machinery without having to enter enemy territory, said the official.

Andrew Fox, a retired British army major and a research fellow at the London-based Henry Jackson Society, said the Israeli military was likely the first force to use remote-controlled combat machinery in an active war zone.

"It's a really big development" that is "changing the paradigm" of warfare, carrying out tasks as effectively but at a far reduced risk to personnel, he said.

But beyond ethical and legal drawbacks to such advanced technology, there is also the need for an overriding human presence to make decisions particularly in unusual situations.

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war was a disastrous example for that, when Palestinian gunmen breached the high-security border, said Tal Mimran of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

"I think that October 7 showed us that you can build a wall that may cost $1 billion, but if you do not patrol the border, then someone will infiltrate your country," said Mimran, a lecturer and researcher of international law who has been closely following the Israeli military's technological developments.

"We must take note of the opportunities and of the risks of technology," he said.

"This is the era in which artificial intelligence is exploding into our lives, and it is only natural that it will also have a manifestation in the security field."