The EU has released the "EU Indo Pacific Cooperation Strategy", elevating Indo Pacific affairs to a foreign policy priority aimed at promoting economic interests, enhancing geopolitical influence, and increasing policy autonomy. The Ukrainian crisis has led to security, political, diplomatic, and economic challenges for the European Union, affecting its ability to advance its Indo Pacific strategy. Nevertheless, the EU still seeks to strengthen its engagement with the Indo Pacific region, with its Indo Pacific strategy tending towards strengthening values and security cooperation, enhancing coordination with the United States, and shaping it as a two-way strategy. At the same time, the EU's policy towards China has also entered a period of adjustment.

1、 The main objectives of the EU's "Indo Pacific Strategy"

The main objectives of the EU's Indo Pacific strategy include promoting economic interests, enhancing geopolitical influence, and strengthening foreign policy autonomy. The Indo Pacific region is crucial to the EU economy and is its second largest export destination, with four of the EU's top ten trading partners located in the Indo Pacific. The EU believes that the population size, economic scale, energy demand, and digital economy of the Indo Pacific region are crucial for its post pandemic economic recovery, response to global challenges, and promotion of green and digital transformation. The collective rise of Indo Pacific actors is shaping the region as a global geopolitical center of gravity, and the competition between China and the United States in the Indo Pacific region is exacerbating the instability of the regional situation. The EU is relatively detached from the geopolitical game in the Indo Pacific region, and can exert influence by leveraging its relative advantages in areas such as economy, trade, technology, etc., providing diversified options, expanding the diplomatic space of the Indo Pacific region, and thus influencing changes in the regional landscape. There are differences in the interests, capabilities, and policy priorities of EU countries in Indo Pacific affairs. The introduction of a unified "Indo Pacific Strategy" is seen as an important lever for coordinating national positions, strengthening Indo Pacific policy autonomy and geopolitical influence, and promoting strategic autonomy construction.

2、 The restrictions and needs of the EU's promotion of the 'Indo Pacific Strategy' are both on the rise

After the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis in 2022, the EU's "Indo Pacific Strategy" faced embarrassment and contradictions, the European security landscape and EU Russia relations were impacted, the economy was shaken, and internal discourse power changed, resulting in the EU's policy focus being concentrated on Eastern Europe and its surrounding areas, strengthening the internal momentum and resource constraints in promoting the "Indo Pacific Strategy". However, the EU and its major members have no intention of weakening their attention and investment in Indo Pacific affairs. Against the backdrop of the crisis, the EU's economic, political, and even security needs for the Indo Pacific have increased, and the motivation for EU engagement with the region has strengthened. The EU is facing the problems of insufficient internal momentum and limited defense and security capabilities when promoting the "Indo Pacific Strategy". Small and medium-sized members, especially Central and Eastern European countries, lack interest in Indo Pacific affairs, and the sustainability and stability of the EU's "Indo Pacific Strategy" are facing internal constraints. After the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, the restrictions faced by the European Union have further strengthened. The crisis has seriously impacted the European security landscape and EU Russia relations, increasing the urgency and complexity of domestic and peripheral affairs. The EU continues to push forward the resource constraints of the "Indo Pacific strategy" and further strengthens them. The crisis weakened the political influence of the Franco German axis and increased the voice of Central and Eastern European countries, which will prompt the EU to prioritize its policies and strategic focus in Eastern Europe and its surrounding areas for the long term. Against the backdrop of the official release of the EU Indo Pacific Cooperation Strategy in September 2021, strengthening Indo Pacific ties was originally a priority for the EU's external affairs in 2022. After the crisis escalated, the EU regarded responding to the crisis as a top priority and invested a lot of energy. However, the EU remains committed to achieving the three major strategic objectives mentioned above, and soon reiterated its attitude towards continuing to advance the "Indo Pacific Strategy". In fact, after the crisis showed a long-term trend, the economic, political, and even security needs between the EU and the Indo Pacific have increased. In order to strike at the Russian economy and limit its war capabilities, the EU, together with the UK and the US, launched unprecedented sanctions against it after the crisis escalated and attempted to decouple from Russia in energy. Due to the high dependence of EU countries on Russia for natural gas and oil, coupled with the impact of sanctions and the crisis itself, energy and food prices in Europe soared in 2022, triggering record breaking sustained high inflation and impacting Europe's post pandemic economic recovery. The EU's green transformation process also experienced a certain degree of regression. Maintaining and expanding economic, trade, and energy exchanges with the Indo Pacific has become even more important for the European Union.

3、 Trends in the Implementation of the EU's Indo Pacific Strategy

After the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, the EU adjusted the implementation of its "Indo Pacific strategy" to place greater emphasis on values and security issues. The EU portrays the crisis as a confrontation between democracy and authoritarianism, attempting to influence countries' positions and policies towards Russia and maintain their geopolitical presence through diplomatic pressure, strengthened defense and security exchanges, increased display military deployments, and other actions. The EU has also strengthened coordination with the United States on Indo Pacific affairs and incorporated more traditional security issues. The EU is attempting to shape its "Indo Pacific strategy" into a "two-way" strategy, demanding that the Indo Pacific contribute to European affairs as a whole. In terms of aligning values with its stance on Russia, the EU considers issues such as "democracy, human rights, and the rule of law" as reasons for intervening in Indo Pacific affairs and a major criterion for selecting partners and areas of cooperation. The Ukrainian crisis has changed this point, as the EU sees Russia as the opposite of its values. The EU is also attempting to link the positions of Indo Pacific countries towards Russia with their relations with Europe. In terms of highlighting defense and security issues, the Ukrainian crisis has greatly increased the importance that European countries and the EU attach to defense and security issues, stimulating them to generally increase defense investment and show a stronger security color in foreign exchanges. The EU's ability to enhance defense and security presence in the Indo Pacific is subject to greater limitations, but such issues are more prominent. In terms of strengthening coordination with the United States, after the Biden administration took office, the relationship between Europe and the United States has been repaired to a certain extent, and the willingness of the European Union to coordinate with the United States in the Indo Pacific direction has also increased. In shaping the "Indo Pacific Strategy" as a "two-way" strategy, the EU is increasingly emphasizing the participation of the Indo Pacific region as a whole in European affairs.

4、 The EU's policy towards China has entered a period of deep adjustment

After the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, the EU's policy towards China has undergone a deep adjustment, manifested in the strengthening of its perception of "competitors and institutional rivals" towards China, the increasing trend of politicization and securitization of economic and trade policies, and the increased attention to the Taiwan Strait issue. The EU links China's stance towards Russia with its relationship with China, promotes the "selective decoupling" or "de risking" of its economic and trade policies towards China, and introduces a series of laws to reduce dependence on China. At the same time, the EU rejects the narrative of a "new Cold War" and maintains smooth dialogue with China, ensuring steady progress in economic and trade cooperation with China. On the issue of Ukraine, the EU's expectations towards China are becoming more rational and seeking more consensus.

5、 Conclusion

The Ukrainian crisis has profoundly impacted European security, politics, and economy, shifting the EU's focus and policy priorities towards Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, the EU and its main drivers France and Germany remain committed to advancing the "Indo Pacific Strategy" to promote economic interests, enhance geopolitical influence, and strengthen foreign policy autonomy. The EU places greater emphasis on values and security in its Indo Pacific strategy, strengthens coordination with the United States, and demands that Indo Pacific countries contribute to European affairs. The EU has adjusted its policy towards China, viewing it as a partner, competitor, and institutional rival. The political and security aspects of its economic and trade policy towards China have been strengthened, and attention to the Taiwan Strait issue has been increased. Nevertheless, while strengthening its alliance with the United States, the EU rejects the narratives of a "new Cold War" and "decoupling and disconnection", and is committed to maintaining overall stability in its relations with China, seeking consensus and cooperation on the Ukraine issue. For China, enhancing the stability of China Europe relations is a practical need in the context of uncertainty in China US relations.