First EU-Indo-Pacific meeting in Paris

In the wake of the intensifying Ukraine crisis, the first meeting between EU foreign ministers and their counterparts from nations in the Indo-Pacific region took place in Paris. The invited nations included New Zealand, India, South Korea, Japan and several other Asian countries – China was not invited. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed that this would not put China at a disadvantage. „The Indo-Pacific strategy … is not an anti-China strategy. This strategy is not against anyone,“ Le Drian said.