There are a number of ways that Franco-German efforts can enhance Europe’s interests in the region while contributing to a stable regional security order.
First, foreign naval presence in the South China Sea contributes to a constrained security environment in which it is more difficult for China to unilaterally change the status quo. Europe is there, but its presence in support of Freedom of Navigation should become broader and more regular. 2021 represented a peak for French naval presence in East Asia, with a nuclear attack submarine and the Navy’s main SIGINT ship beefing up the regular deployment of the Navy’s officers training mission, which last year led to several joint exercises with Japan, the United States and Australia.
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