Ministers absent from EU Indo-Pacific meeting

EU foreign ministers have spoken out in favor of closer cooperation with states in the Indo-Pacific in the face of a rising China. The meetings between political representatives from both sides in Stockholm on Saturday gave new political momentum to the joint effort, the European External Action Service said. The EU must, however, be more present and „do more,“ emphasized EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, at the end of the meeting. The European side’s list of participants had been criticized: Only 14 of the 27 EU foreign ministers attended the meeting with representatives from the Indo-Pacific region on Saturday. Others were represented by state secretaries or ambassadors.