Eu Indo-pacific Strategic Study

As the Indo-Pacific region plays an increasingly important role in the global landscape,the US took the lead in putting forward the Indo-Pacific Strategy in 2017,followed by Japan,India,Australia and other countries that have launched their own national Indo-Pacific strategies.Yet the Indo-Pacific region is a geographically distant country for the EU.However,as the EU and its member states have increasingly recognized and emphasized the geopolitical importance of the region in recent years,France,Germany and the Netherlands have successively announced national "Indo-Pacific strategies".Driven by member states,the EU formally published the EU Strategy for Indo-Pacific Cooperation in September 2021 to increase the EU’s influence and engagement in the region.Generally speaking,the EU’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region until the announcement of its "Indo-Pacific strategy" is the result of a long period of development.It has gone through the process of replacing the "Asia-Pacific" by the "Indo-Pacific",which can be roughly divided into three stages: the embryonic stage,the initial shape and the final formation.For a long time,the Indo-Pacific region has been marginalized in the EU’s foreign policy and limited resources have been invested in the region.However,with the Indo-Pacific region increasingly becoming the center of gravity of global geopolitical economy,and the announcement of the Indo-Pacific Strategy by the United States,Japan,India,Australia,ASEAN and important EU member states,the EU accelerated the launch of the "Indo-Pacific strategy".In view of the increasingly complex geopolitical environment in the Indo-Pacific region,the key to global economic growth,and the increasing prominence of non-traditional security challenges,the EU is mainly driven by economic,security and strategic interests to change its attitude towards the Indo-Pacific region and attempt to exert greater influence in the region.There are both opportunities and challenges for the EU to accelerate its Indo-Pacific strategy.China will further strengthen coordination with the United States in the Indo-Pacific region,seek a balance between China and the United States,expand its strategic space in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,enhance its voice and influence,and safeguard the EU’s geopolitical and economic interests.However,the EU is confronted with many internal and external constraints to promote the "Indo-Pacific strategy" : the differences among member states,the lack of strength of the EU itself and the imposition of values diplomacy affect its policy flexibility;Lower-than-expected partner capacity,differences in U.S.and European strategies,and an extremely competitive international environment.The EU needs to balance its own expectations,capabilities and the will of its member states,etc.,which are all problems that the EU has to face and solve to further promote the "Indo-Pacific strategy".