The European Union as a Security Actor and Australia-Pathways for Cooperation and Divergence on China

This chapter argues that Canberra views the European Union (EU) as a relevant regional security actor in the Indo-Pacific, but not a significant one. Whilst the EU Indo-Pacific Strategy represents a hardening of the EU’s position towards China, geographic distance from East Asia means that many EU member states still view China as an economic opportunity rather than a direct security threat. As such the EU strategy is “inclusive”—pursuing dialogue and cooperation with all partners, including China—and remains neutral vis-à-vis the strategic competition between China and the US. Its agenda is focussed on soft-security initiatives rather than hard security. Australia, in contrast, has a much greater threat perception of China, and has radically reassessed the likelihood of being involved in a regional conflict within the decade. The urgent modernization of Australia’s armed forces is now being undertaken as well as cooperation with the United States on force posture. Australia will prioritize security relationships with countries similarly determined to deter China from using military force and those that can assist in its military modernization programme (e.g. AUKUS). The paper offers recommendations for how the EU could still make a meaningful contribution to sustaining a favourable balance of power in the region.