French Far-Left Leader Praises China and Peace, Libération Reporter Criticizes Bias Towards Beijing [Video]
French far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon's praise for China and his statement that Taiwan belongs to China have drawn strong criticism from a Libération reporter, who accused him of ignoring China's threats and disregarding Taiwan's democracy.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 6, 2026 at 11:09
- 🔍 Collected: May 6, 2026 at 11:31 (22 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 6, 2026 at 16:41 (5h 9m after Collected)
PARIS (Central News Agency) -- French far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, during a media interview, highly praised China's leadership as "extremely rational" and stated that Taiwan belongs to China. Arnaud Vaulerin, a reporter for Libération, wrote an article severely criticizing him for not mentioning China's threats and ignoring Taiwan as one of Asia's few vibrant democracies.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left party "La France insoumise" (LFI), recently announced his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election, his fourth bid for the top office.
In a nearly two-hour interview with online media Brut on the 3rd of this month, he said he believes "there is only one China, and how they solve their problems is up to them, as long as they don't go to war with each other."
He also stated that China "could have invaded Hong Kong... could have invaded certain (countries), but didn't, this nation and these leaders are extremely rational because they want a stable world for trade."
When the host brought up the Taiwan issue, Mélenchon said: "It's like us (referring to France) and Corsica. Most of us feel Corsica belongs to France, Corsicans don't necessarily think so... and the Chinese believe Taiwan belongs to China, always has."
Libération senior reporter Arnaud Vaulerin wrote on the 5th that Mélenchon made meaningless comparisons and unreasonable simplifications regarding cross-strait relations to appease China's narrative.
Vaulerin stated that the problem with Mélenchon's remarks is a biased or vague view of the realities of power relations and tensions in East Asia.
He said Mélenchon believes China "cares about global stability" and "its leaders are extremely rational," asserting that China "could have invaded Hong Kong" but only waited for Hong Kong's return. This ignores the suppression of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, the fact that Hong Kongers' lives have been controlled by laws infringing on freedom since 2020, and that Hong Kong was supposed to maintain autonomy until at least 2047.
Vaulerin wrote: "Who is threatening the status quo and stability in the Taiwan Strait? Who is arming at full speed, planning to conquer the Taiwan archipelago in the medium to long term? Who sends warplanes and warships daily when not conducting large-scale exercises of missile launches and sea, air, and cyber mixed warfare? It is China under (President) Xi Jinping. Fortunately, this is not a 'permanent state of war,' but it is a continuous and escalating strategy of tension."
Vaulerin said Mélenchon did not mention any of this, being "faithful to the anti-imperialist thinking of the 1970s, eager to criticize Washington's role as world police, but not hesitating to support China's narrative on Taiwan."
He continued, Mélenchon's casual analogy between France and Corsica and China and Taiwan implies it is just a region; however, Taiwan is de facto independent, possessing almost all symbols of sovereignty, including its military, currency, judicial system, and diplomacy, and cannot be compared to Corsica.
Vaulerin pointed out that Mélenchon, when discussing France and the 2027 presidential election, extolled "popular sovereignty." "Why mention and praise (popular sovereignty) for the French, but not for the Taiwanese? Taiwan is clearly one of the few and most vibrant democracies in the region."
He said: "Mélenchon pretends to ignore all the elements that constitute the strength of a democratic system: separation of powers, peaceful transfer of power, freedom of the press, an active civil society, protection and recognition of many indigenous and minority groups, etc."
Vaulerin also stated that the People's Republic of China has never controlled Taiwan, and Mélenchon "shows no concern for the right to self-determination of people, nor respects a nation that has gone through massacres and casualties to break free from (former ROC President) Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship. But this is not surprising: 'La France insoumise' National Assembly member Sophia Chikirou claimed just eight months ago that China is not a dictatorship. Thank you, Unbowed France." (Edited by Chen Cheng-kung) 1150506
Stand with the facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left party "La France insoumise" (LFI), recently announced his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election, his fourth bid for the top office.
In a nearly two-hour interview with online media Brut on the 3rd of this month, he said he believes "there is only one China, and how they solve their problems is up to them, as long as they don't go to war with each other."
He also stated that China "could have invaded Hong Kong... could have invaded certain (countries), but didn't, this nation and these leaders are extremely rational because they want a stable world for trade."
When the host brought up the Taiwan issue, Mélenchon said: "It's like us (referring to France) and Corsica. Most of us feel Corsica belongs to France, Corsicans don't necessarily think so... and the Chinese believe Taiwan belongs to China, always has."
Libération senior reporter Arnaud Vaulerin wrote on the 5th that Mélenchon made meaningless comparisons and unreasonable simplifications regarding cross-strait relations to appease China's narrative.
Vaulerin stated that the problem with Mélenchon's remarks is a biased or vague view of the realities of power relations and tensions in East Asia.
He said Mélenchon believes China "cares about global stability" and "its leaders are extremely rational," asserting that China "could have invaded Hong Kong" but only waited for Hong Kong's return. This ignores the suppression of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, the fact that Hong Kongers' lives have been controlled by laws infringing on freedom since 2020, and that Hong Kong was supposed to maintain autonomy until at least 2047.
Vaulerin wrote: "Who is threatening the status quo and stability in the Taiwan Strait? Who is arming at full speed, planning to conquer the Taiwan archipelago in the medium to long term? Who sends warplanes and warships daily when not conducting large-scale exercises of missile launches and sea, air, and cyber mixed warfare? It is China under (President) Xi Jinping. Fortunately, this is not a 'permanent state of war,' but it is a continuous and escalating strategy of tension."
Vaulerin said Mélenchon did not mention any of this, being "faithful to the anti-imperialist thinking of the 1970s, eager to criticize Washington's role as world police, but not hesitating to support China's narrative on Taiwan."
He continued, Mélenchon's casual analogy between France and Corsica and China and Taiwan implies it is just a region; however, Taiwan is de facto independent, possessing almost all symbols of sovereignty, including its military, currency, judicial system, and diplomacy, and cannot be compared to Corsica.
Vaulerin pointed out that Mélenchon, when discussing France and the 2027 presidential election, extolled "popular sovereignty." "Why mention and praise (popular sovereignty) for the French, but not for the Taiwanese? Taiwan is clearly one of the few and most vibrant democracies in the region."
He said: "Mélenchon pretends to ignore all the elements that constitute the strength of a democratic system: separation of powers, peaceful transfer of power, freedom of the press, an active civil society, protection and recognition of many indigenous and minority groups, etc."
Vaulerin also stated that the People's Republic of China has never controlled Taiwan, and Mélenchon "shows no concern for the right to self-determination of people, nor respects a nation that has gone through massacres and casualties to break free from (former ROC President) Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship. But this is not surprising: 'La France insoumise' National Assembly member Sophia Chikirou claimed just eight months ago that China is not a dictatorship. Thank you, Unbowed France." (Edited by Chen Cheng-kung) 1150506
Stand with the facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.