A little known regional dialogue offers France and other countries a chance to contribute to the “Pacific way”.
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Pacific Islands
![RAROTONGA - SEP 17 2013:Cook Islands fishermen net fishing in Muri lagoon beach.The Cook Islands has rights and responsibilities over 1.8 million square kilometers of ocean.](https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/styles/image_contenu_article/public/thumbnails/image/shutterstock_157673060_2.jpg?itok=C08guUZw)
France and the European Union (EU) have issued their own Indo-Pacific strategies meant to enhance their commitment in this strategic area. Until now, the Pacific Islands – the member states and territories of the Pacific Community (SPC) – have received little attention despite their strategic importance The geographical distance and the still limited knowledge of this region in Europe certainly hamper political, economic and media interest.
In this context, Ifri’s Center for Asian Studies, with the support of the Pacific Community (SPC), launches a research program in 2022 to enhance awareness of the multiple strategic issues at stake in the Pacific Islands region. While the French presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2022 aims at translating the European Indo-Pacific approach into concrete actions, this research program offers an original and useful contribution to an ambitious European policy in the region.
SPC supports Ifri's research program, which is structured around an opening conference (March 10, 2022), three research seminars on themes related to sustainable development, as well as a series of short publications and videos. Additional notes and events will also address a number of key geostrategic issues.
Research Fellow, Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research,
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Advisor to the Program on Pacific Islands, Center for Asian Studies
...The South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting (SPDMM) is taking place in Nouméa (New Caledonia) from December 4th to 6th of this year.
As US-China rivalry reaches its peak and the likelihood of a high-intensity conflict in the region seems greater than ever, this report advocates for a pragmatic recalibration of France’s strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific. This adjustment should be grounded in a realistic reframing of...
Korea (ROK) held the first Korea–Pacific Islands Summit at head-of-state level on May 29/30 and entered an already crowded Pacific region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG) on May 20-21, 2023, is a testament to India’s international positioning and search for a global role. In Port Moresby, Modi co-chaired the third Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) and announced a series of...
In January 2023, the Iranian Navy staged a show of force near the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) amid growing tensions between Tehran and Canberra.
Japan has recently stepped up its engagement with the Pacific Island Countries (PICs), building on its historical ties and strategic interests in the region.
More frequent climate disasters, rising sea levels, the economic fallout of Covid-19 lockdowns, border closures, supply chain constraints, and the global impact of the war in Ukraine have aggravated the challenge of maintaining sustainable and resilient food systems for Pacific Island...
In September 2020, Germany adopted policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific that comprehensively set out its approach towards this increasingly important region, seeking to diversify partnerships beyond China.
Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden are meeting for the first state visit under the Biden administration, which is reserved for France.
What type of cooperation with the Pacific Islands? Japan and France’s visions after the 10th PALM Summit in Tokyo
In July, Japan held the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM Summit) in Tokyo. This summit served as a significant milestone to demonstrate Japan’s heightened involvement in the region.
Economic Security and East Asia: De-risking in an Era of Strategic Competition Conference
Annual Conference of Ifri's Center for Asian and Indo-Pacific Studies. As strategic competition becomes an increasingly dominant feature of the international system today, the “de-risking” of interdependent economic ties has emerged as a new mantra for managing geopolitical uncertainty.
Food Security in Times of Crisis: Connecting the Pacific and Europe
More frequent climate disasters, rising sea levels, the economic fallout of Covid-19 lockdowns and the global impact of the war in Ukraine have aggravated the challenge of food insecurity for Pacific Island countries.
Asia after the War in Ukraine: Re-imagining multilateralism and the risk of high-intensity conflict Hybrid Conference
Annual conference of Ifri's Center for Asian Studies. The war in Ukraine has marked the return of high-intensity conflict in Europe and represents a profound, structural shift in the region’s strategic environment. It also takes place against a backdrop of a decades-long...
Climate change: the Pacific Islands Countries, 7 years after the Paris agreement
The Pacific Islands countries (PICs) were the first to ratify the Paris climate accords in 2015.
Are Marine Protected Areas a relevant tool for the Pacific?
In the Pacific, small island developing states want to empower themselves to be great ocean nations. Compared to their number of inhabitants, the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of island countries such as the Cook Islands (112 km² of EEZ/inhabitant) or the Marshall Islands (33 km²) are much...
The Pacific Islands countries, a strategic part of the Indo-Pacific for Europeans
France, in 2018, and the European Union, in 2021, announced their strategy for the Indo-Pacific.
Conference with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India Ifri Conferences
How India sees France. A conference with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India.
Pacific leaders will gather in Tokyo for the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM10) from Tuesday to Thursday.
An interview with Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia.
One year on, the announcement of the Australia-U.K.-U.S alliance has not been accompanied by any major changes to France’s Indo-Pacific defense strategy.
Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) is made up of US, UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, with the latter two expected to spearhead cooperation efforts. Some experts say France is already interested despite anger over Aukus security pact; the new PBP will become ‘multilateral rather than...
The United States is the linchpin of Taiwan’s security. Under Donald Trump’s presidency, as tensions with the People’s Republic of China grew, the US increasingly took steps to signal...