SINGAPORE, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The new French ambassador

to Singapore said on Monday that France and Europe do not want

their Asian partners to have to choose between the United States

and China.

Stephen Marchisio, who took office on Tuesday, said France

sees increasing pressure, "maybe more on the U.S. side", that

partners in Asia must make a choice.

"It's very important to say we can talk to everybody," he

said. "We don't want anyone to choose."

Marchisio was speaking to journalists at a luncheon in

Singapore, where French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver

the keynote address on May 31 at Asia's largest security

meeting.

Marchisio said the president will insist during his address

that each state in the region can defend its own interests.

"You can do that even if you disagree with the Chinese

political model. And you can do that even if you don't want a

military base from the U.S. on your soil," he said.

The U.S. embassy in Singapore referred questions to the G7

statement signed in Munich by France and the United States,

which said all members were committed to "a free, open and

secure Indo-Pacific region".

(Additional reporting by Gerry Doyle; Editing by Neil Fullick)