The EU strengthens its partnership with the countries of the Indo-Pacific region
Jean-Yves Le Drian (D) and Josep Borrell at the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Cooperation Forum under the French Presidency of the Council of the EU in Paris, February 22, 2022. REUTERS - POOL
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2 mins
China is at the heart of the concerns of the Indo-Pacific region.
We talked a lot about it this Tuesday during the very first Forum for Cooperation which was held in Paris.
The opportunity for the 27 EU Member States to strengthen their partnership with the countries of Asia-Pacific.
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Paris rolled out the red carpet to all the major Indo-Pacific economies.
Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia and Australia… in all, some thirty foreign ministers met with the 27 heads of diplomacy of the European Union to put on track joint projects in digital technology, the fight against global warming and security.
All that was missing was China, a partner of the European Union of course, but also the great rival in this strategic crossroads, engine of world growth.
The
Indo-Pacific
produces 60% of the planet's wealth.
The European Union is already the leading investor there, but it intends to advance its pawns against an increasingly aggressive China.
"
It is one of the most dynamic regions in the world, but with this dynamism the region also brings challenges and it is the scenario of the geopolitical competition between the United States and China,
declared Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs.
This competition will have – it already has – a direct impact on the security and prosperity of the countries of the region and also on ours.
We therefore have a vital interest in ensuring that the regional order remains open and rules-based.
»
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To read also: Indo-Pacific: a new zone of influence to counter China?
Avoid the addiction trap
And to those who fear being strangled by Chinese loans, like Sri Lanka, the European Union offers itself as an alternative partner.
“
We indeed want with our partners, to help each other to escape the trap of dependence in which the strategies of influence and certain hegemonic aims could lock us up
”, underlines the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.
A barely veiled criticism of China, but everyone repeats it over and over: the new alliance in the Indo-Pacific will not be an anti-Chinese alliance.
►
To read also: Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific: what strategies for France and the EU?
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