French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that any effort to combat drug trafficking must respect the sovereignty of all nations, in a veiled criticism of the controversial US anti-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The French leader, who arrived in Mexico at the end of a mini-tour of Latin America, made the comment during a joint press conference with his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum when asked about the US operations and reports on eventual similar moves in Mexico.

"The fight against drug traffickers is one that unites us all," Macron said, noting that he and Sheinbaum had discussed the issue.

"It is governed by the cooperation between sovereign nations and the respect for the sovereignty of each one."

President Donald Trump's administration has built up significant forces in Latin America, in what it says is its campaign to stamp out drug trafficking.

The United States began carrying out strikes – which some experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers – in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

The US strikes have destroyed at least 18 vessels so far – 17 boats and a semi-submersible – but Washington has yet to make public any concrete evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States.

During his visit to Mexico, Macron otherwise highlighted his desire to bolster ties with Latin America's second-largest economy after Brazil.

He and Sheinbaum presided over a meeting of French and Mexican business leaders.

Mexico is Latin America's number one investor in France, while Paris is only the 11th biggest foreign investor in Mexico.

Macron was the first French president to visit Mexico in more than a decade.