Indo-Pacific

EIAS contribution to the Scholars Programme on EU-ASEAN Relations (SPEAR)

On 28 February 2024 EIAS Director Lin Goethals contributed as a speaker to the “Scholars Programme on EU-ASEAN Relations (SPEAR)” organised by the Delegation of the European Union to ASEAN for researchers from the different countries in Southeast Asia. This Fourth Session of the Scholars Programme discussed the EU Strategy on the Indo-Pacific: A Regional Initiative to Complement ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

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Navigating the Indo-Pacific Tides: Key Takeaways from the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum 2024

Amidst the complex currents of geopolitics, economic interdependence, and global challenges, the Third EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum convened in Brussels on 1-2, February 2024, hosted by Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. Now in its third year, the forum holds significant weight as a cornerstone of the EU’s overarching strategy for Indo-Pacific cooperation, originally conceived in 2021. As the EU and the Indo-Pacific region increasingly intertwine across security, economy, and society, the imperative for a unified and well-coordinated response to common challenges as well as opportunities becomes ever more apparent.

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What’s Next for EU-Japan Security Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific?

December 2022 was a historic month for Japan’s foreign affairs. By targeting an increase of defence spending from 1% of its annual budget to 2% over the next 5 years and publishing new defence and security strategies, Japan is reacting to Asia’s new regional security environment. With new defence capabilities and a growing willingness to cooperate with “like-minded countries”, it is thereby making headway to become a stronger security actor in the region.

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The Significance of EU-Indonesia Trade Relations in the Indo-Pacific

While the European Union (EU)’s trade relations with Indonesia have strengthened over the years, they have also seemingly come to a standstill. 11 rounds of negotiations for the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) have so far taken place without significant progress due to sticking issues, including trade disputes in palm oil and nickel exports.

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South Korea’s 20th presidential election: Finding a Korean balance between the US and China in the Indo-Pacific region

South Korea’s presidential election is scheduled to be held on 9 March 2022. The two major parties, the ruling liberal Democratic Party (DP) and the conservative People Power Party (PPP), nominated their presidential candidates, both of whom have no legislative experience in the National Assembly. The former Gyeonggi Province Governor, Lee Jae-Myung, was nominated by the DP to succeed incumbent President Moon Jae-In, and the former Prosecutor-General, Yoon Suk-Yeol, was nominated by the PPP (opposition camp) to rebrand the party following the 2017 impeachment of former President Park Geun-Hye.

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