| Popis: |
Among Europe’s three major powers, France retains the largest foothold in the Asia-Pacific in the form of overseas territories, exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and forward deployed forces—largely as the by-product of its colonial history. This chapter examines the evolution of French foreign and security policy in the Asia-Pacific since 1989. It shows that China’s growing assertiveness after 2009—and French policymakers’ perceptions of it—has been the central driver of change in French foreign and security policy in the region. Specifically, rising economic interests in the region and, crucially, heightened threat perceptions of the People’s Republic of China have pulled France strategically into the Asia-Pacific. The first two sections examine the key drivers of France’s security policy in the Asia-Pacific, namely its economic interests in the region and its threat perceptions of China respectively. The subsequent two sections show how these drivers have, in turn, caused Paris’s policy goals and instruments to change over time. |
