France’s Contributions to Pacific Maritime Governance
France stands out as the only European country capable of making a substantial security contribution to the South Pacific, with a permanent presence of 2,800 military personnel extensively skilled in regional cooperation.
France’s Maritime Governance Objectives in the Pacific
France's Pacific territories, which include New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia, and Clipperton, form a vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covering around 7 million km². This area accounts for 67% of France’s total global EEZ. France's primary focus in maritime governance in the Pacific is protecting this resource-rich maritime domain from Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and drug trafficking.
Sovereignty forces are permanently stationed in New Caledonia (1,650 personnel) and French Polynesia (1,180 personnel), tasked with maritime surveillance and policing, crisis prevention, civil security, and, when needed, support and logistics for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
Additionally, these forces actively participate in regional cooperation initiatives, advancing France's second objective: contributing to the stability and security of the region in collaboration with partners, including strengthening the maritime capacity of Pacific Island countries.
France’s Key Policies and Activities
France articulates its maritime policy in the region within the framework of its Indo-Pacific strategy, published in 2019 and subsequently updated. This strategy aims to foster a region that is 'open and inclusive, free of all forms of coercion, and founded on multilateralism and respect for international law,' particularly at sea.
In the Pacific, French forces assist the nations of the Pacific Island Countries in monitoring their vast maritime territories. For instance, France collaborates with Australia, the United States, and New Zealand within the Quadrilateral Defense Coordination Group (Pacific Quad) on maritime surveillance missions and combating IUU fishing, benefiting the Oceanian States and supporting the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). France also participates in joint exercises organized by the FFA, such as the Tautai and Kurukuru operations, to enhance regional maritime surveillance.
Since 2021, France has organized an annual South Pacific Coast Guard seminar, rotating the venue between New Caledonia and French Polynesia each year. This initiative aims to strengthen regional coordination between France, the Pacific Islands, and Pacific Quad partners while supporting the sovereignty of Pacific Island nations.
[...]
>Read the entire article on the website of the East-West Center : Céline Pajon, "France’s Contributions to Pacific Maritime Governance", Asia Pacific Bulletin, Number 729, East-West Center, February 20, 2025.
Texte citation
France’s maritime governance approach leverages its overseas territories, advanced surveillance capabilities, and regional partnerships to maintain security and support Pacific Island nations.
Research Fellow, Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
Available in:
Themes and regions
Share
Download the full analysis
This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.
France’s Contributions to Pacific Maritime Governance
Author(s)
Céline PAJON
Research Fellow, Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programs
Center for Asian Studies
Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.
The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands.
The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.
The Center organizes closed-door roundtables, expert-level seminars and a number of public events, including an Annual Conference, that welcome experts from Asia, Europe and the United States. The work of Center’s researchers, as well as that of their partners, is regularly published in the Center’s electronic journal Asie.Visions.
Find out more
Discover all our analyses
Sri Lanka’s NPP Government. From System Change to Structural Compliance
In September 2024, a relative outsider to Sri Lanka’s two-party-dominated political system, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, won the presidential elections. The anti-establishment, populist movement he represented, the National People’s Power (NPP), went on to receive an overwhelming mandate in the November 2024 general elections, winning 159 seats in a 225-member parliament.
Japan Under Trump: Alliance Strains, the Push for Autonomy and Essential Partnerships
Japan is under pressure from the United States (US) on punitive tariffs and demands for increased defence spending. This has sparked deep concern over US credibility and triggered growing domestic calls for greater autonomy.
Quest for Strategic Autonomy? Europe Grapples with the US - China Rivalry
Building on the 2020 European Think Tank Network on China (ETNC) report, which assessed Europe’s positioning amid the strategic rivalry between the United States and China, this edition re-examines the geopolitical landscape in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s return to the White House. This report features 22 national chapters and one dedicated to the EU, analysing the evolution of Europe’s relations with Washington and Beijing, the range of approaches to dealing the US-China rivalry and how these are expected to evolve.
France seeks third way between US and China in Southeast Asia
The French leader sent a message of partnership but gave few concrete details on sustained engagement plans.