Ambassador Emilio de Miguel Calabia began his presentation by framing how the Indo-Pacific concept emerged. This term was first introduced by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who in 2007 advocated for the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific due to the controversies surrounding the South China Sea and the East China Sea. For this reason, Emilio de Miguel points out that the response to China’s rise resulted in the emergence of this concept, as well as the revitalization of the Quad, created in 2008 and consisting of Australia, the United States, India, and Japan.

Part of this rise took place in 2013, when China launched the Belt and Road Initiative, a new way of reshaping the Indo-Pacific space, although it presents itself merely as an infrastructure project. This initiative aims to address the infrastructure deficit in Eurasia and establish more flexible criteria for granting loans, among other things. In addition, China has developed a new lateral ecosystem, aiming to compete with and eventually replace the system created at Bretton Woods. The creation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank or the Boao Forum for Asia would be examples of these measures intended to rival the existing system.

Regarding the Western view of China’s initiative, Ambassador de Miguel makes a special mention of the United States and the European Union. On one hand, the Trump Administration marked a turning point in US-China relations, granting renewed importance to the Indo-Pacific as the geographical framework in which the rivalry for global hegemony would be played out. Within this rivalry, three scenarios are identified: a cooperative bipolarity between the US and China, a Cold War climate and the constitution of antagonistic blocs, and a multipolar bipolarity.

On the other hand, the European Union has also presented a strategy in relation to the Indo-Pacific geopolitical framework. As explained by Emilio de Miguel, this strategy aims to reinforce the EU’s role in the region in terms of security and defense; establish interdependence between the EU and the Indo-Pacific; cooperate in the fight against climate change; integrate into the regional security architecture, and improve funding for the region through Global Gateway funds.

To conclude, the Ambassador Emilio de Miguel notes that Russia’s invasion forced the modification of practical measures discussed in the Indo-Pacific forum with EU members. However, he assures that «the invasion of Ukraine will not mean that the US and the EU will disengage from the Indo-Pacific. On the contrary, Europe and the Indo-Pacific will remain closely linked.»

Judit Anidjar

Communication Assistant, INCIPE