EU, Japan To Sign Defence Deal

The European Union (EU) is looking to sign a defence deal with Japan as it seeks to up its presence in the Indo-Pacific to counter China.

The agreement is likely to include cooperation on naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific, intelligence sharing and responses to cyberthreats, Kyodo reported.

The EU in 2021 released its own Indo-Pacific strategy to strengthen defence ties with its allies in the region. The bloc has also sought to up cooperation with other countries in the region including the Philippines, Vietnam and Australia.

The EU and Japan have held joint naval exercises in the past in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea to expand cooperation in sea operations.

The EU is dependent on contributions from all its member states and have deployed their forces for peace missions.

After the war in Ukraine, the EU is trying to become more independent on defence. Donald Trump, the Republican candidate who is contesting for the post of president, has said that he would encourage Russia to attack America’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies if they do not meet their financial obligations to the organisation.

Japan has upped its security cooperation with the West in recent years in order to tackle China, Russia and North Korea. It has raised defence coordination with the US and is trying to develop new security deals with Britain and Australia.

Analysts believe that the partnership with Europe also improves Japan’s bargaining power within the US-Japan alliance.

Meanwhile, China has repeatedly hit out at the US and its allies in the region saying that their moves are likely to disrupt regional peace.

Ties between EU and China continue to be under strain with the bloc increasingly looking to cut its economic dependence on Beijing. The bloc is trying to be more assertive keeping in mind the changing geopolitical situation worldwide.