France, Vietnam sign Airbus deal as Macron seeks to influence former colony facing US tariff threats
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France and Vietnam signed a deal on May 26, 2025 for the Southeast Asian country to purchase 20 EU-made Airbus planes, among other pacts. The deal was signed as French President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi seeking to boost Paris' influence in its former colony grappling with threats of crippling US tariffs. Macron's visit, the first by a French president in nearly a decade, comes amid fears by the EU that export-dependent Vietnam, under pressure from Washington to buy more American goods and eager to avert 46 per cent US tariffs that could impair its growth, could make pledges to Washington that will be at the expense of the 27-nation bloc. In a statement to the press, Macron also reiterated France's support of freedom of navigation, an issue dear to Vietnam as it often clashes with Beijing over contested waters in the South China Sea.
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