In Geopolitics Today - Tuesday, October 5th
The EU Is Ill-Equipped to Play Major Role in Indo-Pacific and UK Publishes its First National Space Strategy
The EU Is Ill-Equipped to Play Major Role in Indo-Pacific
As the United States prepares for systemic conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific, European Union member states are not united on the path forward in such a hostile international environment. European views on China continue to be contested and at times even appear moving in different directions. But if the EU is serious about attaining ‘strategic autonomy’ from the United States, it will have to invest in more than just economic deals with international partners.
EU member state relations with China vary greatly. While Lithuania has become embroiled in a diplomatic spat with China over the opening of diplomatic offices for Taiwanese officials, Vilnius has not received widespread public support for its position from many fellow member states. Moreover, Hungary has actively courted investment from China, has for years maintained positive relations with Beijing, and has even represented Chinese views within EU institutions. In all, the EU does not have a view toward Beijing uniform enough to carve out a concrete policy toward China, and by extension, the Indo-Pacific.
The EU often does not put the necessary resources behind its intentions. So far, the EU Indo-Pacific strategy does not outline any significant defence capacity for the EU in the region, providing little leverage for the enforcement of EU member state interests. While individual member states, such as France, play crucial security roles in the region, they are few and far between, with most EU member states possessing little influence over affairs in Asia, and even less so in matters of security. To ensure that European interests are not side-lined in the Indo-Pacific going forward, the EU would have to drastically shift its role and work to deepen security ties with partner nations in the region.
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The UK Publishes Its First National Space Strategy
The United Kingdom has recently published its very first National Space Strategy (NSS). The document sets out the country’s vision, as set by the current government, for its future engagement with space through science, technology and defence. The paper focuses on industry as it outlines the UK’s vision, goals, and plans for space. One of the main avenues for the UK to achieve its goals in space according to the strategy document will be by financing space-focused private enterprises.
The NSS demonstrates that space is a keen interest for the UK as the country takes stock of its capabilities in a realistic assessment of what can be achieved. The publication of the UK’s NSS comes at a time when space is becoming increasingly accessible, with states no longer the only major players, and the strategy recognises this reality even though it charts future endeavours into space in rather broad terms. Nevertheless, the UK recognises that many critical capabilities — civilian or military — now demand huge quantities of data, requiring access to technologies utilised in space.
The NSS also recognises the limitations of the UK in its approach to the space domain. The document stresses that many critical technologies in this domain will require collaborative efforts. The UK aims to continue working together with the European Space Agency, NASA, and JAXA going forward in order to jointly develop and operate projects in space. Much of this collaboration is expected to take place over the next nine years, as the document outlines four phases of implementation for the entire strategy: the ‘countdown phase’ over the next three months; the ‘ignition phase’ throughout 2022; the ‘thrust phase’ between 2023 and 2030; and the ‘orbit phase’ commencing 2030.
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