Asia-Pacific security is vital for Europe too, EU foreign policy chief says

Josep Borrell tells Shangri-La defence forum that avoiding tension in the South China Sea is ‘of the utmost importance’ for the bloc because of strong trade links

He also warned that arms sales to Russia had a direct impact on the EU and said Brussels was watching China’s ties to Moscow closely

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EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00pm, 1 Jun 2024Updated: 6:10pm, 1 Jun 2024

Avoiding tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait is of the “utmost importance” to the European Union, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said on Saturday.

Josep Borrell told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that Europe’s strategic and economic interests are “more than ever intertwined” with those of the Indo-Pacific countries.

Borrell said the two sides have to look at each other in a “more comprehensive way” and “not simply through economic lenses”.

“Economy and strategy are the two sides of the same coin … Security in Europe and the Indo Pacific are increasingly interlinked. Your security is an important part of our security,” said Borrell.

He also warned that “China’s so-called no limit partnership with Russia, although everything has limits” and North Korea’s support for the war in Ukraine had a “direct impact on European security with the promulgation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine”.

Borrell referred to the Indo-Pacific as the “beating heart of the world,” noting that around 40 per cent of the EU’s trade passes through the South China Sea.