Christmas in Africa's very interesting.
Yeah, because it's summer.
So it has none of the cheer that you guys associate
with it in America.
It's just, like, sweaty people delivering presents.
It's a very different vibe.
Like, unwrapping gifts is a lot more fun
when you're, like, cozy next to, like, a fireplace.
When it's hot, it just feels like a job.
Do you know what I mean?
Everyone's like: (panting)
What did you get me?
Why are you making me work?
Why... why did you bring it wrapped?
Why didn't you just bring it unwrapped?
I don't think I ever got a wrapped gift.
Like, no, when I was a kid growing up, I never got a wra...
Why would... I've never understood
the concept of a wrapped gift.
It only breeds, like, disappointment.
'Cause everyone is just like: Oh, I wonder what it is.
It's never what you thought it is.
That's a very sad way to live life.
You shouldn't wrap gifts.
You should... You know what you should use wrapping paper for?
For, like, for after the gifts.
People give you things, and then you go like, "Meh,
I don't like that," and then you wrap it up.
That's what wrapping should be for.
'Cause like, "I wish this never happened.
This is all you bought me after a year of being in my life?"
That's what wrapping should be for.
Yeah, it's just... it's, like...
And it's not bad, by the way.
I'm just saying it's funny, when you come from a different place,
your mindset on these things is completely different.
I just never had a wrapped present,
nor do I enjoy wrapping.
I hate when people say that to me.
I have Americans in my life now, and they're like:
"Oh, you didn't wrap it?" I bought you shit.
I bought you some shit, now you want me to wrap the shit?
It's already in a package, as well.
Now I just say, "climate change,"
then they can't say anything.
But for a few years, I had to fight with people.
"Why didn't you wrap it?" Because it comes wrapped!
It's in packaging. You want the packaging of the packaging.
Do you know what I mean? "Oh, but I want the surprise."
Then close your eyes before you look at the shit.
You're going to make your surprise my job.
I bought you the shit. You know what was a surprise for me?
How much your present cost me. That was a surprise.
"Why didn't you wrap this shit?" Why didn't you buy it?
You want surprises and you want gifts.
I can't do everything in your life.
Some bullshit.
-But Merry Christmas, everybody. I mean... -(crew laughter)
ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from the heart of Times Square
in New York City, the only city in America,
it's The Daily Show.
Tonight-- Omicron, can't stop, won't stop,
what China is up to in Africa,
and Bruno Le Maire.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Hey! What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to The Daily Show. I'm Trevor Noah.
Let's jump straight into today's headlines.
♪ ♪
We kick things off with the only story
everybody has been talking about for two years now:
the coronavirus pandemic.
Yeah, this thing is starting to feel a lot like a Marvel movie.
It's exciting, but it's kind of dragging on
for a really long time.
Now, the Omicron wave that we've been waiting for
has now hit the U.S. for real.
Hospitals are starting to fill up again.
Big companies that were planning to bring workers back
to the office in January have postponed until May 2097.
And concerts and shows are shutting down.
A lot of people are saying that it feels like March 2020
all over again.
But, people, please have some optimism.
Things are much better now than they were back then.
For one, we have vaccines.
Two, we have treatments.
And three, no one thinks Zoom happy hours are a good idea.
We've learned a lot.
But while we are being reminded
about just how serious this pandemic is,
there are still some people who are taking it
just a little more lightly.
A Cape Coral man was spotted on a United Airlines flight
masking up, but not with one of these.
He actually was wearing underwear, on his face.
This is Adam Jenne wearing his statement piece,
a bright red thong.
I think the best way to illustrate absurdity
is with absurdity.
NEWSWOMAN: Jenne says he's worn underwear as a mask
since the beginning of the pandemic.
JENNE: I am banned from flying United,
so, so much for "the customer is always right."
NEWSWOMAN: Jenne is comparing himself to civil rights icons.
Everything else that has sparked change in this country
has started from everyday people.
Rosa Parks was nobody famous.
She changed the course of history.
Rosa Parks? My man, don't be so modest.
You're more than Rosa Parks.
If anything, you're the Martin Luther King
of white dudes comparing themselves to Black heroes
for no reason.
Shit!
You know, for real, sometimes I think conservatives are right:
America shouldn't be teaching
the history of racism in schools.
Because then at least white people wouldn't know
who to compare themselves to
when they get kicked off of airplanes for doing dumb shit.
I'm exactly the same as, uh--
I-I can't think of anybody. You know?
Like, maybe I'm just an dumbass wearing panties on my face.
I need to reevaluate my behavior.
And, by the way, can we all agree
there's no way this dude just started sniffing thongs
during the pandemic?
I bet you he's been going around for years like,
"Well, looks like I got kicked out of the dorm
"because I'm once again the Rosa Parks
"of my sister's friend's underwear drawer.
Yeah. Someone's got to do it."
But as long as we're talking about civil rights,
let's move on to a story about Martin Luther King Day.
Some people are saying
America needs to stop celebrating MLK Day next year,
but the people suggesting it
might not be who you think.
NEWSMAN: Martin Luther King III is asking people
not to celebrate his father's legacy
on MLK Day coming up next month
if Congress has not passed
new national voting rights protection.
NEWSMAN 2: They're calling on President Joe Biden
and lawmakers to pass two voting rights bills
that have been stalled in Congress.
One is aimed at fighting voter suppression
and restoring the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
The other focused on reforms
making it easier to register to vote.
Ooh, this is hard-core.
But I-I get why the King family has to resort to this.
I mean, with Republicans blocking the new laws
and Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema
refusing to end the filibuster
so that Democrats can pass it themselves,
someone has to think outside of the box.
And holding a holiday as a hostage is a great leverage.
I mean, it's a brilliant idea.
You know, 'cause I don't care how racist you are.
Nobody wants to give up a day off of work.
In fact, if you ask me,
they shouldn't just threaten to just take MLK Day.
No. You know what they should do?
They should threaten to turn MLK Day
into a second Valentine's Day.
That's a real threat.
Yeah, nobody wants to put their relationship
in that much trouble.
"You forgot Valentine's Day!"
"There's another one?"
Still, this is a risky strategy.
'Cause you realize Republicans have a way
of twisting everything related to MLK.
Yeah. Tomorrow, Ron DeSantis could come out and be like,
"The King family is right.
"We've got to defend Dr. King's dream.
"That's why from now on, all Black people in Florida
"can vote exclusively in their dreams.
"So no need to show up anymore on Election Day, Black people.
We did it."
All right, but let's move on to our top story.
Back in the day, when one country
wanted to take over another country,
they had to beat them in a war.
Or they had to rent the other country on Airbnb
and then just never leave.
But now it looks like a country might have found a way
to take over another country with the stroke of a pen.
China's recently been accused of trying to take over
Uganda's sole international airport
if the east African country
fails to pay a $200 million loan
for the expansion of the site.
NEWSWOMAN: At this rate,
if Uganda fails to repay the loan,
Uganda's only international airport
will soon be a Chinese asset.
NEWSMAN: In response to the public outcry
over the loan agreement, the Chinese embassy in Uganda
issued a statement saying,
"Not a single project in Africa
"has ever been confiscated by China
because of failing to pay Chinese loans."
Wait, China might be threatening
to take Uganda's airport
because of a loan that might not be paid?
And-and I don't know, maybe it's just me,
but that statement
was not the most reassuring thing I've ever heard.
Because, "We've never confiscated an airport"
is very different
from, "We're never going to confiscate an airport."
Like, if you ask your spouse,
"Promise me you'll never cheat on me,"
and she says, "Of course. I promise that.
Up to now, I have never cheated on you,"
oh, she's gonna cheat on you.
And I know what you're thinking right now.
You're like, "I didn't even know Africa had airports."
First of all, (bleep) you.
We've had them since the '90s.
And secondly, you're probably wondering
what the hell is going on with this story?
How can one country take another country's airport?
Do they just take over its operations,
or do they actually get one of those claw things
that just scoop it up and then take it back to their country?
And if so, can they do that to LaGuardia, too, please?
But maybe the biggest question is what is China even doing
in Africa in the first place?
Well, let's find out in another installment
of If You Don't Know, Now You Know.
♪ ♪
Africa.
It's where I was born and raised
and where you miss the rain from.
Ever since the age of colonialism ended,
Africa has been working hard to modernize its economies
and catch up with the rest of the world.
But to do that, it needs lots and lots of new infrastructure:
roads, railways,
ports, dams, Cheesecake Factories.
You name it, Africa needs to build it.
The only problem is that stuff all costs a shitload of money,
money that most African countries don't have.
But in recent years,
many African countries have found themselves
a new sugar daddy.
(imitates Trump): "China."
Over the last several decades,
China has been pumping resources into Africa.
The country has invested hundreds of billions of dollars
across the continent, ranging in everything
from transportation and infrastructure
to real estate and technology.
NEWSMAN: Large African infrastructure projects
would be viewed as risky by any traditional bank
and would therefore struggle to get financed.
But China's Export-Import Bank doesn't care.
This bank will give low-interest or no-interest loans
to African countries so they can build these trains
or dams or other projects.
China touts the fact that their foreign investment and aid
is no strings attached,
with no requirements on factors like respect of human rights
or democratic elections.
(translated): We do not interfere
in the internal affairs of African countries,
impose our will on African countries
or attach any political conditions on economic aid.
That's right, baby. China has been making it rain in Africa.
It's the most money anyone has sent to Africa
without being guilt-tripped by a celebrity sing-along.
And no strings attached, by the way.
China doesn't care about your government
or human rights or anything.
They're basically the "cool mom" of international finance.
"Oh, you and your friends, you want to come party this weekend?
"Well, come do it in our basement
"with your child soldiers.
We didn't hear a thing!"
So, in many ways, this is a great arrangement for Africa.
But maybe it won't come as a surprise
that China isn't just giving billions of risky loans
to Africa out of the goodness of its heart.
NEWSWOMAN: Many scholars suggest Beijing's true endgame
in Africa is not solely financial
but, rather, political.
NEWSMAN: There is empirical evidence
that China has been using these infrastructure investments
to affect worldwide politics.
It's been found that if an African country recognizes
Taiwan as a country, they receive, on average,
2.7 fewer Chinese infrastructure projects
within their borders each year.
Conversely, if an African country
votes overwhelmingly along with China
in the United Nations General Assembly,
they receive 1.8 more infrastructure projects
each year.
NEWSMAN 2: At one point or another,
30 African countries have had formal relations with Taiwan.
Now Eswatini is the only African nation to recognize the island.
Yep. That's the power of money right there.
Enough of it can make you switch allegiances,
change your principles,
do anything.
Hell, for enough money, you could probably get Africans
to start saying that Africa is just one country.
"Yes, yes, we are just one big country full of giraffes, huh?
Where's-where's the money? Huh?"
Still, China has been really successful with this.
Out of all of Africa,
every country has broken off relations with Taiwan,
except Eswatini.
Which means Eswatini either really has, like,
principles that they stick to
or they just haven't heard about the deal yet.
"Good for you, Eswatini,
refusing that money from China!"
"What? China's giving out money?
"Hello, Taiwan? It-It's over.
Yeah. I-I'll come by later to get my things."
And you might say, "Well, tough luck for Taiwan,
"but subordinating your foreign policy to another country
"is probably worth it if it means
"getting all this investment.
"I mean, think of all the jobs
that these projects create in Africa."
And it is true.
These projects do create jobs.
It's just that many of those jobs
are going to... (a la Trump): China.
NEWSMAN: In Africa, China's estimated to have won
almost half of all engineering procurements
and construction contracts.
But those contracts haven't come without controversy.
The country's been accused
of unfair labor practices in Africa,
including bringing in its own workers
instead of hiring locally.
NEWSMAN 2: The steady influx of Chinese companies and workers
have fueled accusations that wealth and opportunities
are not being shared with the local community.
(translated): We all do the railway work,
but the Chinese constantly say, "We're the boss.
We're the ones who run the show."
NEWSWOMAN: This is Ethiopia's main Chinese economic zone.
This small business makes jeans.
Everything is imported from China--
sewing machines, methods and supervisors.
The average salary of an Ethiopian worker
is $56 a month,
ten times less than the average Chinese worker.
That's right. When China invests in these projects,
they often send over Chinese workers to Africa
to fill all the best positions,
which isn't right.
I mean, the best jobs shouldn't be given to a person
because of where they're from.
The best jobs should be given
to whoever has the best answers in a job interview.
"So, what's your biggest weakness?
And don't say 'working too hard.'"
"Uh...
masturbating in public?"
"I like your honesty.
You're hired."
And even when Africans are employed,
they're treated differently,
sometimes even segregated from the Chinese workers.
And that's wrong.
I mean, we need Chinese and African people
to spend more time together
because of all the hijinks they'll get up to.
I mean, we haven't had a Rush Hour sequel
in, like, 20 years, guys.
So, China is gaining control over Africa's foreign policy
and its best jobs.
Not to mention, a lot of these projects
put Chinese companies in charge
of Africa's prized natural resources,
especially precious metals.
Which is super important, because those precious metals
are in basically every piece of advanced technology these days.
I'm talking everything-- cars, appliances,
Elon Musk, everything.
So when you start to examine this relationship
as a whole, it actually starts to look a lot less
like a loan and a lot more like a new kind of colonialism.
And that's-that's before we even get to what happens
if the loans aren't repaid.
NEWSWOMAN: Analysts have accused them of debt colonialism.
There are fears China is making loans
it knows states cannot repay.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Beijing may engage in what critics characterize
as debt-trap diplomacy, lending designed
to force countries into handing over land, minerals
and strategic assets when they default on a loan.
NEWSMAN: To build this Belt and Road railroad
with Chinese loans, Kenya agreed to apply Chinese law
inside Kenya and give up East Africa's largest port
if it couldn't repay its debts.
NEWSMAN 2: Some countries are relying
on gradually repaying their debts
to China by shipping specific quantities of oil.
NEWSWOMAN 3: Sometimes, the loans are repaid
in natural resources, such as cobalt.
NEWSWOMAN 4: As Africa's largest bilateral creditor,
China holds more than 20% of the continent's debts.
NEWSWOMAN 5: Many African countries were already crippled
under the weight of the money they owe China.
Now, the coronavirus pandemic has made it nearly impossible
for many to keep up with debt payments.
Basically, China has negotiated agreements
with our African countries
which are so egregious in, you know, benefiting China,
they could take all of Africa at a fire sale price.
Ah, yes, the debt trap.
It's like the thirst trap of infrastructure.
China's just strutting around with its railroads hanging out.
What is Africa supposed to do? Not hit the light button?
I mean, say what you want about the European colonizers,
but at least they were upfront about it.
(British accent): Right, we're taking all your shit,
and if you don't like it, you can go to the U.N.
Oh, wait, they don't exist yet, bi-atch!
But what China is doing is a lot like terms and conditions.
Yeah. They know Africa can't afford
not to take the deals that they offer,
and then, when Africa can't pay it back, the Chinese are like,
"Right, we're taking all your shit,
and if you don't like it, read the fine print, bi-atch!"
So, look, this isn't a great situation for Africa.
And the rest of the world really needs to know
what is happening here.
Although, if there's anything I've learned, it's that
people don't really care about Africa.
In fact, people don't care about most issues
until it affects them personally,
or until they've seen, like, a movie about it.
I mean, these days, killers get exonerated
because of something people watched on Netflix.
Actually, maybe
the only way to get people to care about Africa
is if we turn it into a movie.
(ominous, dramatic music playing, wind whistling)
We're here for your airport. Hand over the keys.
We will hand you... nothing!
You will never understand the ways of our land or our airport!
Too bad. Now it's China's airport.
The runways, the terminals,
the soggy tuna sandwiches that we made in 2019-- it's all ours!
But the terms of this deal are unfair!
Well, then maybe you shouldn't have agreed to it. Duh!
We had no choice! Tell him, man!
♪ ♪
Stop daydreaming about Zendaya!
Come on, man! China's about to take control of our airport.
-Focus! -Sorry. I'm sorry. I focused.
China, you are taking advantage of Africa's plight,
locking us into onerous contracts
so that you can plunder our resources, huh?
And by the way, when I say "China,"
I'm talking about the Chinese government, huh?
I'm not talking about Chinese people, of course.
-Mm-hmm. -You know, nothing against Chinese people.
Of course. I mean, #StopAsianHate.
Well, what are you going to do about it?
Huh? This is the best deal you're going to get.
People can only be oppressed so long
before those people eventually get tired
of oppression and stand up!
Am I right?
♪ ♪
Stop thinking about Zendaya, man!
We're about to lose the airport!
I don't know why I keep doing it.
Maybe she's got a plan for us.
Maybe there's a deal, huh?
It's not just daydreaming. You know what?
Let me go and try and find this lady.
You talk to this China guy, huh?
I'll get back to you, huh?
I hope you get eaten by a big-ass worm!
Wait. This is part one?
How long is this movie?
Sorry, guys. That would have been better quality
if I had a budget, but I didn't want
to take any money from China.
All right, when we come back, we'll get a preview
of the season's hottest Christmas movie.
You don't want to miss it.
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
It is officially the holiday season,
the time of year when we gather around the tree
and sing classic holiday songs that we realize halfway through
are super creepy.
It's also the time when TV networks
drop dozens of holiday movies
where white people meet and fall in love
thanks to the power of Christmas.
It's a tradition that we at The Daily Show
want to get in on.
So please enjoy this trailer
for our own upcoming holiday movie.
♪ ♪
ANNOUNCER: She was a single mom
hoping for a Christmas miracle.
Hi. Do you have time for a charity that's...
He was a regular Joe trying to do the right thing.
And this Christmas, they're going to find love
in the most magical way.
How dare you teach my child about critical race theory?
You are ruining America.
-(others whooping) -MAN: Ma'am. Ma'am.
Please calm down.
Don't tell me to calm down, you woke elitist.
And why don't you take that mask off?
Take it off and face me like a man.
-OTHERS: Yeah! -(clapping)
♪ ♪
(quietly): And keep it off.
(exhales)
(quietly): Looks like Santa came early this year.
Now, this holiday, they'll both be learning CRT:
Christmas Romance Theory.
You know, oat milk is more sustainable than almond milk.
Oh, shut your cuck mouth and kiss me.
♪ ♪
But can two people who don't agree on history
ever have a future?
Does your sweater say "Happy Holidays"?
Yeah, it's more inclusive.
You never understood me.
Or Christmas.
Aw, man.
We're never gonna end up together now.
This season, one man will have to put Christmas...
over reason.
Since our last school board meeting,
which was only this morning...
Can you believe that? So much has happened.
I've learned that one thing
is more important than teaching children
about their own country's history.
And that one thing
is love.
-(sighs) -So tonight,
the school board is announcing that we are putting love
-back into the curriculum. -What?
And it will replace all the lessons about slavery.
(cheering and applause)
No, no, no. We're overruling that.
No, he doesn't have the power to do that.
Why does he have a gavel? This is a school board meeting.
ANNOUNCER: Don't miss the movie event of the season.
I got you this.
(paper tearing)
To burn.
(crying): Oh. Merry Christmas.
Fascists.
ANNOUNCER: A School Board Christmas.
♪ ♪
Ooh, I can't wait to angrily watch that.
All right, when we come back, the finance minister of France,
Bruno Le Maire, will be joining me
right here in the studio, so don't go away.
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is French finance minister Bruno Le Maire.
He's here to talk about the relationship
between France and America
and how the country is responding to the challenges,
from COVID all the way through to Russia.
Mr. Le Maire, welcome to the show.
-Thank you. Good evening. -Thank you so much
for joining us here today, um, especially during this time.
I feel like you're one of the best people
who I could speak to about one other country
that's central to the direction that Europe is gonna be taking
in the coming years.
Let's maybe start with the biggest question,
the pressing question.
Great Britain has left the European Union.
Angela Merkel is stepping down after 16 years,
you know, leading the European bloc.
France is now seen as one of the key players
that has to step into a role of guiding Europe
in a certain direction.
But it feels like, with COVID, with Russia,
with the world's economy, there is a lot to do.
What is France's plan for moving Europe forward?
And is it an optimistic outlook?
Very optimistic. And our plan is quite clear.
We want a stronger Europe,
we want a Europe that will be more independent,
and we want France to play a key role
in this "building back better" of Europe.
I'm totally against this way of thinking,
that France would be on decline.
France is absolutely not on decline.
France is booming,
Europe is booming,
and our best years are for our children.
It's interesting that you say France is booming
and France is not on the decline,
and yet there are people in France
who may feel the opposite. And I only say this
-Yes, you're right. -Because what I've learned
in America, and we learn it all around the world,
is the reality may not necessarily match
the perception that some people have,
and that perception can oftentimes be more powerful
-in terms of determining who gets to lead. -I fully agree,
but, you know, we want to avoid a kind of Trump's experience
-in France. -Interesting.
I really think that it would not be the best way for France.
-Mm-hmm. -But we have 30% or 35%
of the French population which stands ready
-to vote for far-right parties. -Right.
So we need, we need to understand why.
I think that there is a question of identity.
There is a question of fear.
People, uh, are concerned by, uh, the COVID.
People are concerned by the rise of China.
People are concerned by their own identity.
-Yeah. -And we need to respond to those questions
while avoiding new divisions in the French society.
Once again, we don't want to live
what you have lived with the Trump experience
in the United States.
Let's talk a little bit about some of those things.
You recently had a debate
with, um, a far-right conservative
in-in France who, you know, is on a news program
that is... that is very far right,
and some people would say, "Gee, it's similar to Fox News."
And he-he's planning to run in the country,
and he's stoking those fears and those divisions.
I-I would love to know, if we start with identity,
'cause that's a key one in France.
France has always had this beautiful idea.
Forget religion, forget your race,
forget everything else.
We are French, and we are French together.
It seems like there is now starting to be a rift
between some who say
being French is only attainable fully
if you are white and a Francophile
or being French is only fully attainable
if-if you are willing to, you know,
get rid of all of your-your cultural ideas.
And some argue that being French only should be reserved
for people who are white and of European descent.
How do you... how do you bring those two worlds together
without anyone feeling alienated
but also trying to get to that-that ideal?
But I think it would be a total mistake
to think that you can only be French
if you are, uh, white
and if, uh, you have heirs
of 100, 200 or 300 years.
-Mm-hmm. -I think it would really be a mistake.
You can be Black. You can be white.
You can be a Muslim.
You can be Jew. You can be Catholic.
You can come from Brittany, or you can come from Morocco.
That's not an issue
provided that you love France.
I've de-debated with Éric Zemmour.
He's pretending like Zorro. Zed.
-Yes. -He's pretending to rescue the people.
He's not rescuing the people.
He's dividing the people.
He's filling the people with fear
and with hate.
That's exactly what we want to fight against.
You know, there is, um, an American dream
based on the possibility to become rich
and to be successful.
-Right. -I like the American dream.
But there is also a French dream
which is based on freedom,
which is based on equality,
which is based on fraternity.
-We are all responsible for the future of the nation. -Hmm.
And that's the key point of the French dream.
I have the French dream in the roots of my heart.
And I will fight against those people
which are trying to divide the French society,
which are trying to put the people against one each other,
because I really think that it cannot be the future for France.
Do you think France could do a better job of...
giving everybody access to the French dream
-who is in France? -Yes.
You know, like, we-we've seen stories
of people who have names-names
like Diallo not getting interviews
or people who are Muslim
struggling to integrate into French culture.
Do you think France could do a better job of that?
Yes. Yes, let's-let's be very frank.
We could do a far better job,
and we have to take into account the difficulties
of the people, uh, who are of foreign origins
who are trying to do their best to be successful
in the French society
to, uh, have access to the highest position.
And they are facing big hurdles.
We should get rid of those hurdles,
and we should make its place for everybody,
which is sticking the right decisions
and which is doing its best efforts to be successful.
I think that we can do far better on that field.
Let's talk a little bit about geopolitics.
Right now, one of the biggest pressing issues in Europe
is the conversation around Russia.
I know that President Macron recently spoke
to the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin,
and it seems like all of these discussions,
whether it's with Putin, whether it's with Biden,
seem affable on the surface.
But on the border of Ukraine,
there's an army that has gathered,
and-and Europe seems to be worrying
about what that might mean.
Now, most countries seem to believe
that any militaristic intervesh-- intervention
would be the worst possible outcome.
We see Afghanistan. We see the world.
People do not have an appetite for war.
However, many people wonder
what the European Union would do
if Russia were to invade Ukraine.
Uh, is there any idea of a plan in place?
The plan is to be very clear
towards Vladimir Putin.
If there is any attempt to, uh, the Ukraine border,
then the consequences for Russia will be very bad.
And, you know, there is one thing
that we should really a-avoid,
which is any kind of military action.
Because military action is never the solution.
So we have been very clear,
both President Biden and President Macron,
we will never accept any attempt
and any threat against Ukraine.
Do you think financial sanctions will be enough as a threat?
Financial san-sanctions, uh, might be a possibility
but not the only one.
Another conversation in and around France--
very dear to my heart, obviously,
coming from the continent-- is the conversation between--
or around France and its former colonies.
For a long time, many Africans have felt like France--
And not alone in this, you know?
The same thing with Great Britain, et cetera--
has done a terrible job
in reconciling with its past actions in Africa
to Africans,
who speak French,
who have lived under the French for so long
and who now say, "We are struggling
because of a past of colonialism."
What do you think France could be doing better on the continent
to try and right some of its wrongs?
I mean, we know we live in a world
where everyone was conquered, everyone was invaded,
so I'm not even saying it's a blame thing.
Do you think there's something France could be doing
to try and improve the relationship
between these African countries and the country of France?
I think that we are doing our best to, uh, try to be...
reconciliation.
-And reconciliation is the key word, of course. -Mm-hmm.
Reconciliations means understanding the past
of all those countries.
Reconciliation means that you have to be respectful.
Reconciliation also means providing help
to those countries.
You were just speaking about COVID.
-COVID is a nightmare for everybody. -Right.
But what the hell. If you have all
the Western countries being successful
in fighting against COVID,
and you have African countries without the possibility
of fighting COVID and facing the pandemic,
the result will be negative for all of us.
-Right. Definitely. -So helping the other countries
could be also a solution.
The last point on that.
The economic, um, support that we are giving
to African countries is absolutely key.
You run the risk of having a new, great divergence
-from an economic point of view... -Mm.
between the European continent
and the United States on the one side,
-and African countries on the other side. -Right.
We should definitely fight against that big gap
between the two continents.
Are you doing anything to try and insulate African countries
from China and the influence that they're in?
-Because it seems like a new type... -Good question.
It seems like a new type of colonization.
Very good question. I think that there is the old type
of colonization, and we are trying to build reconciliation.
And there is a new type--
I would not use the word "colonization"--
-but a type of influence... -Mm-hmm.
-which is a hard one... -Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
coming from China, and we are explaining
to all African countries that we have
to build a new partnership based on an equal footing.
-Equal footing is absolutely key. -Mm-hmm.
And maybe they could be
a little bit more cautious vis-a-vis China.
Well, Minister Le Maire, thank you so much for coming here.
-Thank you, Trevor Noah. Thank you so much. -Thanks.
We're going to take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go,
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Now here it is-- Your Moment of Zen.
(playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow")
♪ Somewhere past the pandemic ♪
♪ When we're free ♪
♪ There's a life I remember ♪
♪ Full of activity ♪
♪ Somewhere past the pandemic ♪
♪ We'll hug our friends ♪
♪ And thank the people in science ♪
♪ That brought the pandemic's end ♪
♪ Let's end ♪
♪ COVID ♪
♪ Now. ♪