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Europe looks to Japan for defence pact amid ‘worrying shift’ in regional dynamic
- Agreement being discussed could potentially include cooperation on naval exercises, intelligence sharing and responses to cyberthreats
- But it’s not expected to have much impact and observers say China would be more concerned about individual deals with European nations
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The European Union reportedly plans to seek a security deal with Japan as it looks to boost engagement in the Indo-Pacific to counter China.
The agreement, first reported by Kyodo News last month, could potentially include cooperation on naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific, intelligence sharing and responses to cyberthreats.
But Beijing is not expected to overreact to the plan since – although it has political implications – it is unlikely to have much impact on security in the region, according to observers.
Song Zhongping, a former instructor with the People’s Liberation Army, said while Europe “keeps a close eye” on the region it is also “beyond reach”.
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“Their focus is on Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and Russia, but not China in the Indo-Pacific,” he said. “This agreement shows more that there is a political consensus between the two parties, but it will be difficult to implement it.”
Brussels followed Washington to release its own Indo-Pacific strategy in 2021 aiming to strengthen defence ties with allies in the region, where tensions have been rising over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
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The EU and the US also held their first-ever joint naval exercise last year, in the Indo-Pacific, and Brussels has proposed sending warships to the Taiwan Strait. The bloc has meanwhile sought to boost defence ties with countries in the region including the Philippines, Vietnam and Australia.
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