France's Emmanuel Macron says prefers 'respect to bullies'

Emmanuel Macron

President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday France preferred "respect to bullies" and rejected "unacceptable" tariffs, following US President Donald Trump's threat to impose levies on countries opposing his plans to seize Greenland.

"France and Europe are attached to national sovereignty and independence, to the United Nations and to its charter," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, as his US counterpart seeks to take over the Danish autonomous territory, and has invited countries around the world to a new global "Board of Peace".

"We will do our best in order to have a stronger Europe, much stronger and more autonomous," he said, wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses after appearing in public with a bloodshot eye last week.

"Here in the epicentre of this continent, we do believe that we need more growth, we need more stability in this world," he added.

"But we do prefer respect to bullies," the French president said. "And we do prefer rule of law to brutality."

The French leader warned of "a shift towards a world without rules", one "without effective collective governance", leading to "relentless competition".

Macron described "competition from the United States of America through trade agreements that undermine our export interests, demand maximum concessions, and openly aim to weaken and subordinate Europe".

They were "combined with an endless accumulation of new tariffs that are fundamentally unacceptable -- even more so when they are used as leverage against territorial sovereignty", he said.

Last week, Macron had appeared on stage with a bloodshot eye for a New Year's address to the military, asking his audience to "please excuse the unsightly look of my eye".