I played this in a recent gunboat: https://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?game ... #gamePanel
The game didn't go great for me, but I remain convinced this is one of the strongest defensive options, which is top priority for France in the current climate. It discourages a full 1901 attack from anyone without particularly pissing anyone off. Get that guaranteed build and hope E/G get bored, which you would need to survive against them long term anyway.