Opinion | As warming ties with the Philippines show, the EU is quietly building a new golden age with Asean

Far from a routine exchange of diplomatic niceties, recent developments in EU-Philippine relations reflect a broader geopolitical trend in Asean amid US-China jostling

The EU’s constructive diplomacy has won Southeast Asian nations over, as economic synergies build trust and European strategic autonomy sits well with Asean neutrality

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Published: 8:15am, 8 Aug 2023

“Security in Europe and security in the Indo-Pacific is indivisible,” said Ursula von der Leyen during the first visit by a European Commission president to the Philippines, emphasising how Brussels is “ready to strengthen the cooperation with the Philippines on maritime security” as South China Sea tensions grow.

Other than taking a jab at Beijing, von der Leyen also underscored her commitment to pursuing a more comprehensive partnership with the Philippines. Accordingly, she unveiled economic grants and revived negotiations for a free-trade agreement.

Eager to diversify their strategic relations, Southeast Asian nations such as the Philippines have warmly welcomed growing engagement with the EU. Unwilling to be dragged into a superpower conflict, Southeast Asian states broadly see the EU as a reliable third force.

Brussels is also expanding its strategic footprint in the Indo-Pacific to maximise economic opportunities and mitigate a Sino-American cold war in the world’s most consequential region.

Philippine-EU relations have been on a roller-coaster ride over the past decade. Under the reformist Benigno Aquino III administration, relations reached an apogee. Eager to tap European markets, the Aquino administration oversaw the lifting of bans on Philippine carriers and held off restrictions on Philippine fisheries’ exports.

On a 2014 trip to Brussels, Aquino said there was “no better time for us to build [a] strategically rounded partnership”, as trade and investment ties boomed. As a fellow democratic nation and a “new tiger” economy, the Philippines was also emerging as an attractive partner for Brussels.