Emmanuel Macron’s controversial remarks in an interview at the end of his recent visit to China have shaken the sense of unity around the European Union’s approach towards Beijing. This is unfortunate, given the French President’s apparent intention to project the exact opposite, by inviting the EU Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen to join him on his visit — and given the opportunity he missed to support the agenda of de-risking relations with China that she had proposed just days before the visit. Yet despite being problematic and ill-timed, Macron’s comments have served to put the spotlight on three key challenges the EU needs to address in order to develop and communicate a clear and more coherent China policy. This task is particularly pressing as more European leaders are set for their own engagements with Beijing, as its diplomatic reopening picks up pace. In the interview Macron lobbied for doubling down on the EU’s strategic autonomy, and for widen