EU: As geo-strategic competition in the region increases, the EU is working to strengthen its presence in the Pacific through economic ties and new security commitments, the bloc's ambassador to Pacific island countries said on Tuesday.
The EU has long been regarded as a development partner in the Pacific, but Ambassador Sujiro Siem said in an interview during a visit to New Zealand that the EU also wants to be seen as an economic and strategic partner.
The US and Australia have taken the initiative of the European Union to advance their partnership in the Pacific region after China signed a security deal with the Solomon Islands this year.
According to Siem, everyone, even the European Union, is aware of the geo-strategic importance of the Pacific. The European Union has long had a presence in the Pacific, helped by France's connections with French Polynesia.
The European Union announced 300 billion euros (US$305 billion) of global infrastructure and unveiled a formal Indo-Pacific strategy in 2021, claimed by Seam, to strengthen ties.
He said the European Union is finalizing a plan to spend 5 million euros (US$5 million) on a feasibility study for a pier on Kiritimati Island in Kiribati. He added that the EU has several development projects underway in the region and is looking at more.
“We have consistently said that we are not opposed to anyone in the region. We are not here to control China,” Siem said.
However, it is important that nations consider the implications, such as whether they will receive loans or development aid, before choosing their partners.
In fact, China is lending most of its aid. As a result, this makes the debt vulnerability of these countries even greater. According to Siem, economic opportunity is a component of the strategy to increase the EU's presence in the Pacific, and the organization has partnered with several Pacific governments and is currently negotiating a similar agreement with Tonga to make it the European Union. To provide better access to markets.
According to him, the EU also intends to expand its maritime surveillance presence in the Indo-Pacific. The French military, which often has assets in the area, has previously been used to support the European Union.
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