The Dutch government launched the country’s Indo-Pacific guidelines on November 13, making it the third EU member state to present an official document on the Indo-Pacific region, a geopolitical concept that the US Trump administration has been pushing with allies in the region in recent years. Among other things, the Netherlands will join France and Germany, the forerunners of the issue, in furthering the discussion on the Indo-Pacific region within the EU.
At present, both France and Germany have put forward their own versions of the Indo-Pacific Strategy Paper. In comparison, the German version of the Indo-Pacific Strategy is more open and inclusive, as it covers a full range of areas and has cooperation at its core. In response, German Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, “In the coming decades, our prosperity and geopolitical influence will depend on the way we cooperate with the countries of the Indo-Pacific region. There, more than anywhere else, is where the shape of the future order based on international rules will be determined. We want to help shape that order so that it is based on rules and international cooperation, not on the law of the strongest.” While France was the first country in Europe to launch an Indo-Pacific strategy, the French version of which focuses on security and defense, India is an important pillar of the French Indo-Pacific strategy; the two sides work closely together in the western and southern Indian Ocean.
The paper published by the Dutch government is entitled “Indo-Pacific: A Guide to Strengthening Dutch and EU Cooperation with Asian Partners”. According to the document, “Geopolitical and geo-economic relations are rapidly shifting. The importance of the Indo-Pacific region is growing. In order to protect the economic and political interests of the Netherlands and Europe. A more active commitment in the world’s most important growth region is the Dutch and EU’s presence in the Indo-Pacific, and the Netherlands’ and the EU’s own views and interests in the region.” The paper says, “The Netherlands and the EU benefit from closer cooperation – both bilaterally and within the framework of the EU – with countries in the region, especially with like-minded democracies and open market economies that share the Netherlands’ commitment to effective multilateralism and importance.”
According to the document, “The main purpose of cooperation with these countries should be to promote our interests in the fields of international rule of law, democracy and human rights. Sustainable trade, security and stability, freedom of transit and maritime security, climate change; global health and poverty reduction. Cooperation must be shaped on a case-by-case basis according to the common interests and degree of like-mindedness of each country.” The document continues, “Given the significant economic, geostrategic, and energy interests, most countries have a strong interest in avoiding the Indo-Pacific region becoming a plaything between any one country or in the hands of the superpowers. These countries are faced with two competing superpowers and are looking for economic and (security) political dominance. Their ability to make choices within their sovereignty is increasingly limited. This requires a further strategic approach, followed by trade and investment, but it requires a fundamental reorientation of trade and investment; it involves identifying common interests and deploying a broad and integrated set of policy instruments to help these and other countries give themselves broader strategic options that protect sovereignty.”
While Europe’s role should not be overestimated, we should not underestimate our own,” the paper says. The EU is the world’s largest market and the region’s largest investor and support donor. Within the EU, the Netherlands is one of them. It is in the top 5 of the largest investors and donors in the region: our economic strength gives us the ability to play a positive role.”
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