France and Australia can be heart of new Indo-Pacific axis, Macron says

French president and Australia's PM talk up rules-based order in region - and praise China's rise

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France and Australia can be the heart of a new Indo-Pacific axis, promoting peace, stability and a rules-based order, Emmanuel Macron said in Sydney on Wednesday.

But the French president was at pains to stress that France's continued emphasis on its Pacific presence was not one antagonistic to China, saying he welcomed Beijing's economic and geopolitical rise.