The improvement of an effective strategy on the Indo-Pacific will take years; Europe won’t handle all issues at the similar pace. It is a selection between carefully balancing the relationship with China or capitulation – between asserting oneself on the international scene or changing into irrelevant. Leaders in member states and the upper echelons of the EU are increasingly conscious that higher strategic engagement with the Indo-Pacific is essential to defining Europe’s role in the world, however most of them presently intend to take action at a minimal value. The quasi-consensus among the many 27 EU member states on a high-standards agreements could make it difficult for the EU to conclude FTAs with groupings of any sort. At least 25 member states agree that there could be a want for strong environmental requirements, intellectual property protections, competition laws, and measures on subsidies or state-owned corporations.
