My article here is to explain France's overall strategy in the Indo-Pacific and some predictions about what could be next

Although France is the European country with the most accomplished strategy, it is also perhaps the most misunderstood

It is interesting that exactly 240 years ago the French Navy defeated the British Navy in the Chesapeake Bay, paving the way for the victory at Yorktown and the independence of the US

Prior to French President Emmanuel Macron's trip to Japan and French Polynesia in July, the French government (Indo-Pacific Strategy) published this 66-page document unparalleled in Europe and affirms that France is at the forefront of conceptualizing and implementing its own strategy France differs from other EU member states in that it has sovereign interests in the region. More than 1.6 million French citizens live in the Indo-Pacific Overseas Territories. Paris cannot be considered a spectator player in the Indo-Pacific. It is a resident power

The flight from Africa to the Indo-Pacific to send power to French Polynesia in the South Pacific in less than 40 hours - and for the first time in June 2021 - consisted of three Rafales, two A330 multi-role transports and two A400Ms, which is clear evidence of the distinguished French power However, it would be a mistake to think that France's interests in the region can be summed up in security interests only, while the Indo-Pacific strategy is partly about China and is not related to an equation with China or against China only

The agreement with all of Australia (2013), India (1998) and Japan (1995) is the three main strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region where there is now a Franco-Japanese Dialogue (since 2013 Extraordinary Partnership) and a Franco-Australian Dialogue (since August 2021) or so It's called a 2+2 binary dialogue France supports many multilateral initiatives in the Indo-Pacific region that aim to strengthen response to natural disasters, better adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity (such as the Kiwa Initiative), combat illegal fishing, etc. France is also increasing its diplomatic presence in regional forums. She joined the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in December 2020 and chaired the 7th Indian Ocean Maritime Symposium this summer If the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs continue to play a central role, government agencies become more and more involved, such as the French Development Agency (AFD)

However, the French public remains largely uninformed and what is more paradoxical is that despite its international dimension the Indo-Pacific strategy also has a clear national dimension which is to promote development and integration among French territories in the region France should not only communicate better with the French people but also integrate the French Indo-Pacific regions into the national strategy and if some of them have already hosted international conferences they should become central in the increasingly decentralized framework of cooperation At the institutional level, the issue of reorganizing the geographical perimeter of certain ministries must be addressed, such as the renaming of the Directorate of Asia and Oceania of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the Directorate of the Indo-Pacific

The French government’s efforts to correct the perception bias mentioned earlier also require a deepening of French partnerships and initiatives with actors other than the three strategic partners, all of whom are members of the Quartet coordination, and South Korea could be an excellent example

So that in addition to the existing French Indo-Australian format, new triple formats must also be created

There should be 👉🏼 a French-Japanese-Australian dialogue on the South Pacific

There should be 👉🏼 a French-South Korean-Singaporean dialogue on environmental issues in Southeast Asia

It will be important to repeat the comprehensive maritime dialogue that began with Japan in 2019 Maritime issues are at the heart of the Indo-Pacific region. This format is ideal for discussing a number of issues while insisting on an interministerial approach that is still too often lacking.

Mayyar Neumann