<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><br />''</b></div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the creation of a new strategic alliance among France, India and Australia to respond to challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and the growing assertiveness of China.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">On the second day of a visit to Australia, where he hopes to cement defence ties following the 2016 signing of a 38 billion dollar megadeal to supply submarines to the Australian Navy, Macron said the like-minded democracies should forge closer ties.&nbsp; Macron in a speech at an Australian naval base said if we want to be seen and respected by China as an equal partner, we must organise ourselves.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Macron visited China in January, where he warned Beijing that its new &quot;Silk Road&quot; initiative should not be &quot;one-way&quot;. He then arrived in India in March, where he committed to strengthening a defence partnership that has already seen New Delhi buy French warplanes in 2016.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">President Macron said this new Paris-Delhi-Canberra axis is absolutely key for the region and our joint objectives in the Indian-Pacific region.</div>