Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub

The Indo-Pacific region has emerged as the new epicentre of geopolitical competition, due to the growth of the Asian economies and particularly of the People’s Republic of China. The struggle over the future of Asia will define the 21st century for the rest of the world, like the struggle over Europe defined the 20th century. Europeans have begun their own tilt towards the Indo-Pacific. It remains unclear, however, what specific role Europeans should play in the Indo-Pacific. The HCSS “Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub (EIPH)” facilitates such exchanges, establishing an international knowledge network of experts, practitioners, business representatives and journalists across Europe, South, East, and Southeast Asia, as well as East-Africa, the Middle East, and the US to discuss the future of the maritime commons in the Indo-Pacific.

Latest Research

Catch up on the latest research from the Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub

Factsheet | Westerse Aanwezigheid in de Asia-Pacific

Reaching breaking point: The semiconductor and critical raw material ecosystem at a time of great power rivalry

Russian minister of defence and foreign affairs with Indian conterparts

India’s approach to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: An Example of the BJP’s ‘India First’ Thinking and What it Means for the West

Seoul’s Changing Indo-Pacific Manifesto and India: Policy Prescriptions for India-ROK Ties

Europa in de Indo-Pacific: moeilijk te vermijden en moeilijk uit te voeren

Guarding the Maritime Commons | What role for Europe in the Indo-Pacific

Multilateralizing Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific: How Europe can contribute to regional deterrence

China’s Militaire Opkomst en Europese Technologie

It started with a ship… What role for Germany in the Indo Pacific’s security architecture?

Multilateralizing Maritime Cooperation in East Asia: South Korea’s Cautious but Delayed Response

Getting Real about the Indo-Pacific: Redefining European Approach to Maritime Security

Guarding the Maritime Commons – Executive Summary

European Engagement in the Maritime Security in Indo-Pacific: a Japanese Perspective

Between AUKUS and the Quad: Scaling European Interest in the Indo-Pacific

Thucydides Lives in Asia: Power Transition Traps Are Real

Strengthening deterrence against nuclear, conventional, and hybrid threats: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Insights for US Allies in Europe and Asia

Snapshot: Did AUKUS Torpedo Transatlantic Cooperation In The Indo-Pacific?

China’s Military Rise and the Implications for European Security

The US may be willing, but no longer always able: The need for transatlantic burden sharing in the Pacific Century

In a State of Flux: Maritime Order in the Indian Ocean

Issue Brief No. 5 Liberal Democracy: Up to the challenge of the 21st century?

The Maritime Future of the Indian Ocean: Putting the G back into Great Power Politics

The Rise of Asia and Strategic Questions for Europe

About the Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub

The HCSS Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub has three key focuses:

Maritime security and the role of European navies

Maritime security in the Indo-Pacific is of high importance to European states. As most European trade is seaborne, guarding the sea lines of communication and protecting international legal frameworks are necessary to maintain prosperity and uphold the existing international order – especially for smaller, trade-dependent states like the Netherlands. A European naval presence between European and Asian ports can protect European trade and signals that European interests are at stake. Yet European naval capacity is limited, with few ships available for deployments across such a vast region, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How can European states make smarter and effective use of their capabilities within those constraints and limit economic vulnerabilities? The HCSS Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub, explores several options, including rotational deployments, basing arrangements, and task specializations. We examine the strategic logic and limits of a European naval presence in the Indo-Pacific, and specifically which frameworks and partnerships are the most effective.

Shifting value chains between Asia and Europe

For Europe the importance of seaborne trade in the Indo-Pacific for Europe is hard to overstate. Resources required for the energy transition and digital technologies, like critical raw materials, come largely from China. Europe’s fossil fuels, such as crude oil and liquified natural gas, come partially from the Gulf Kingdoms. Europe’s digital economy entirely relies on advanced semiconductors, produced in Taiwan and South-Korea. Semiconductor manufacturing relies on silicon wafers produced in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the European Union. End products, such as electric cars, solar panels, iPhones and medicine, are in large quantities imported from China. As great power rivalry intensifies and states shift into geopolitical blocs, the efforts of states to achieve greater economic self-sufficiency and ensure energy security picks up pace. Consequently, the value chains crossing the waters of the Indo-Pacific are shifting. Within the HCSS Europe in the Indo-Pacific Hub, we look at the growing competition between states over high-end technologies, vital resources and value chains. We examine the strategies that European states can employ to make our modern economies more resilient during times of increased insecurity on climate, energy and trade.