There is no need for 'decoupling'. In fact, Macron and the EU (through Von Der Layen) have just rejected that stance during their trip to China.
This is actually what this is about: 'decoupling' is an American stance aimed at helping American interests. And so 'sovereignty from America' is indeed rejecting that stance if it does not fit your own interests.
More broadly, with China and Ukraine, those being the most salient issues, the US have pushed their interests at the expense of Europe. Macron is sending a very unsubtle hint that they can follow so far (and don't get him started on the little Australian subs issue...)
> 'decoupling' is an American stance targeted at helping American interests
Nobody is advocating decoupling right now, just being mindful of decoupling risk.
If Xi invades Taiwan tomorrow, Washington deploys the Russia playbook. The parts of the French economy that depend on China would overnight have to deal with sanctions compliance, payment risk, write downs and freezes. Having your ally’s economy go depression at the outset of conflict isn’t helpful.
> the US have pushed their interests at the expense of Europe
Europe pushed for tougher actions on Russian oil and gas than Biden wanted. Reality is more complicated than a one liner.
> the US are powerful enough to bully everyone else. Up to a point
This is an adversarial model of international relations. It’s dated to the imperial era. One can model any countries’ relationships with it. (It’s vaguely tautological.) And it will make them all sound imperial. (For example, France with her former colonies. Or Norway with Denmark: they’re nice because it is below the limit of what they will tolerate from one another.)
For sake of argument, let’s embrace this flawed model. Using its lingo, the entire point of this discussion is whether that point of decoupling is before or after Beijing invades Taiwan. Whether France has the strength to stand up, or is constrained in its policy options in response to an invasion.
This is actually what this is about: 'decoupling' is an American stance aimed at helping American interests. And so 'sovereignty from America' is indeed rejecting that stance if it does not fit your own interests.
More broadly, with China and Ukraine, those being the most salient issues, the US have pushed their interests at the expense of Europe. Macron is sending a very unsubtle hint that they can follow so far (and don't get him started on the little Australian subs issue...)