ToplineFrench President Emmanuel Macron on Friday sniped at the U.S.’s “unpredictability” and warned about the “dominance” of China as he urged other major democracies to stand up to the two superpowers, amid a brewing personal feud with President Donald Trump.French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a meeting with students at Yonsei University.AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsMacron met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul during a diplomatic trip to Asia, and the two agreed to work together to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but didn’t share details.Macron addressed students at Yonsei University, where he urged Democratic countries to build what he called a “coalition of independence” to stand up to China and the U.S.The French president said this group of countries should work to avoid becoming “vassals of two hegemonic powers,” Bloomberg reported.Macron said these middle power countries don’t want to “depend on the dominance” of China, while also ensuring they are not “too much exposed to the unpredictability of the U.S.,” the report added.For his proposed alliance, Macron listed European countries, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Canada and India, who he said have a shared agenda on several issues, including democracy and international law.Earlier this week, Macron met Japan’s Prime Minister in Tokyo and said both countries were advocating for a ceasefire in the Middle East.What Do We Know About Macron’s Recent Clash With Trump?During a White House Easter event on Wednesday, Trump took a swipe at Macron and his relationship with his wife, claiming she “treats him extremely badly.” Trump then said the French leader was still “recovering from the right to the jaw,” an apparent reference to a video that showed his wife, Brigitte Macron, pushing him in the face after they landed in Vietnam last year. When asked, Macron said he is “not going to respond” to Trump’s jibe, and added, “they don’t merit a response.”Crucial QuoteReacting to Trump’s remarks on the Iran War and NATO, Macron said on Thursday, “There is too much talk … and it’s all over the place...You have to be serious. When you want to be serious, you don’t go around saying the opposite every day of what you just said the day before. And perhaps you shouldn’t talk every day.”Key BackgroundSince the start of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with the U.S.’s NATO allies and their reluctance to join the conflict or help with reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier this week, Trump signaled he was considering pulling the U.S. out of the Western alliance, over this. Of all the NATO members, Trump has publicly criticized the U.K. and France the most, and earlier this week he wrote on Truth Social that the French government was being “VERY UNHELPFUL” by not allowing U.S. planes “headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies,” to fly over its territory. Macron on the other hand has argued against the idea of using force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran in retaliation against U.S. and Israeli strikes. “It is unrealistic. It would take forever, and would expose all those who go through the Strait to risks,” the French leader has said.Further ReadingMacron Responds To Trump’s Attack On His Marriage As Iran War Feud Deepens (Forbes)Trump Tells Allies To ‘Get Your Own Oil’ From Strait Of Hormuz Or Buy From U.S. (Forbes)Trump Says He’s Considering Pulling U.S. Out Of NATO—Calls It A ‘Paper Tiger’ (Forbes)