France a 'reliable' US ally but needs to engage China: minister

France is a "strong and reliable" US ally, the country's Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told AFP on Wednesday, while underscoring that it remains important to continue engagement with China.

The minister's comments, on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's spring meetings in Washington this week, came after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Europe should not be a "follower" of the United States in the event of conflict with China over Taiwan.

Macron's remarks, made in a recent interview, risked creating confusion among his Western allies, analysts say.

But Le Maire stressed on Wednesday: "We intend to remain strong and reliable allies of the United States of America."

This is also at the core of French policy, he added.

Before going to China, Macron spoke with US President Joe Biden, with the aim of having "deep coordination" with Washington in relation to Beijing.

Asked about Taiwan, Le Maire said the key issue is asking China to "de-escalate."

On the economic front, Le Maire lamented the view that some in the United States think Western countries should be decoupled from the Chinese economy -- even while the US-China trade volume "has never been so high."

He believes that Europe should not step back while other countries continue trading.

Le Maire said there was a need to continue engaging with China as well on issues like climate change, debt restructuring and not supplying weapons to Russia.

"We need the support of China, and we need China to be on board," he said.