User:Morgengave/sandbox

The pivot to the Indo-Pacific is the geopolitical reorientation of several European countries as well as Canada to the Indo-Pacific region, starting between 2017 and 2020.

Reasons cited for this pivot are the growing weight of Indo-Pacific in the world economy, the growing power of China, and the disputed maritime claims over the South China Sea and in the East China Sea made by China. France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK published an Indo-Pacific strategy laying out their policy steps regarding the region, with the EU currently drafting up such a policy document.

These countries, as well as Canada, also increased their naval presence in the region in 2021 to a level rarely seen since the decolonization period. Collaboration between these countries and Indo-Pacific countries, especially with four members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue countries (Australia, India, Japan, and the US), has also increased.

Pivot
At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June 2018, French and British defense ministers announced they would sail warships through the South China Sea to challenge China's military expansion. In a similar move, on 16 September 2020, France, the UK and Germany together submitted a note verbale to the United Nations, which reaffirmed that the integrity of UNCLOS needs to be maintained, stating that China's territorial claims in the South China Sea do not comply with it.

On 20 January 2021, Joe Biden became the president of the United States, and two days later, US and Japanese top security officials discussed security issues. Three days after that, the Japanese Foreign Minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, attended the EU Foreign Affairs Council to promote cooperation between Japan and the EU in the Indo-Pacific. On 18 February, during the third ministerial meeting, the United States, Australia, Japan and India agreed to strongly oppose any use of force by China, and vowed to work with ASEAN and Europe to meet their aims.

Canada
While Canada hasn't published an Indo-Pacific strategy yet, it started increasing its naval presence in the region in 2020. In June 2020, Canadian frigate HMCS Regina and auxiliary vessel MV Asterix sailed through the Taiwan Strait, which China claims. In January 2021, HMCS Winnipeg did the same and later joined the navies of the Quad members in the naval exercise Sea Dragon, according to a Canadian official "to demonstrate the strength and durability of our alliances in the Indo-Pacific region". In late March, the Canadian frigate HMCS Calgary passed near the Spratly Islands, which China claims.

European Union
The first Quad summit, held in March 2021, explored a partnership with Europe. France, Germany, and the Netherlands have announced their Indo-Pacific visions, and the EU is in the midst of formulating its own.

France
In June 2018, the same month as the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue, France, with 1.6 million of its citizens living and over 90% of its Exclusive Economic Zone located in the Indo-Pacific region, was the first EU member to publish an Indo-Pacific strategy, following increased Chinese assertiveness in the region, and updated it in May 2019. It was also the first EU member to use the geopolitical concept of the Indo-Pacific. Partnerships with all four members of the Quad as well as with ASEAN are a key component of France's Indo-Pacific strategy. As part of this strategic shift, French frigate Vendémiaire sailed through the Taiwan Strait in 2018, which may be the first-ever such passage for the modern French Navy, and was seen as a freedom of navigation patrol, countering China's claim over the Strait.

On 9 September 2020, France, India and Australia held their first India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue, with their foreign secretaries meeting through videoconference. In December 2020, France also revealed it will join for the first time the joint military drills with Japan and the US in May 2021. On 10 February 2021, the French submarine Emeraude patrolled through the South China Sea, proving its capacity to deploy over long distances and work together with the navies of Australia, the US, and Japan. On 24 February 2021, a second India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue meeting was held, to evaluate progress on the actions defined in the first trilateral meeting in September. On 30 March 2021, French Navy’s amphibious assault helicopter carrier Tonnerre and escort frigate Surcouf arrived at the Kochi port in Kerala, India, ahead of a joint naval exercise with the four Quad member countries. The French naval drill exercise is called La Perouse and is scheduled to take place from 5 to 7 April 2021. South China Morning Post reported this as the first instance of naval exercises to involve all four Quad members. Late April, India and France are holding their separate annual Varuna naval exercise. The two French warships are on a five-month-long deployment in the Indo-Pacific. On 13 April 2021, a third India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue meeting is planned, which will take place in New Delhi.

Germany
On September 1, 2020, the German government followed, releasing a policy document in which the country for the first time officially endorsed the concept of the Indo-Pacific, and amongst others includes actively building partnerships in the region, including on security matters, calling on the EU to do the same. In December 2020, in an online meeting between Japan's and Germany's defense ministers, Japan expressed hopes for Germany to send a warship to the Indo-Pacific region, and join drills with Japan Self-Defense Forces, In March 2021, Germany confirmed that it will send in August a frigate to the South China Sea, making it the first German warship since 2002 to traverse this region. In mid-April 2021, the foreign and defense ministers of Japan and Germany are meeting via videoconference to discuss Indo-Pacific security topics.

The Netherlands
In November 2020, the Netherlands published its Indo-Pacific strategy, making it the third EU member to do so, following similar moves by France and Germany. The policy document calls on the EU to build partnerships in the region and to reject Chinese territorial claims more strongly. As part of this policy shift, the Netherlands will send the frigate HNLMS Evertsen to the Indo-Pacific as part of the British aircraft carrier group later this year. In April 2021, Dutch prime minister Rutte and Indian prime minister Modi held a videoconference meeting to discuss cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The UK
In December 2020, the UK announced it would dispatch an aircraft carrier strike group to waters near Japan as soon as early 2021, planning to conduct joint exercises with US military and Japan Self-Defense Forces in May. The strike group will consist of: the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) with an embarked air group (consisting of 24 F-35 aircraft from No. 617 Squadron RAF and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, along with 9 Merlin helicopters and a number of Wildcat helicopters); two Type 45 destroyers; two Type 23 frigates; two Royal Fleet Auxiliary logistics vessels; an Astute-class submarine; the American destroyer USS The Sullivans, and the Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen. Once it has set sail, the strike group will also be joined by "at least a frigate" of the Royal Australian Navy, and a number of vessels from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, before it is reported that it will enter the South China Sea.

In March 2021, the UK published a policy document titled the "Integrated Review" which confirmed the UK's foreign policy shift towards the Info-Pacific and included a nine-step plan detailing what this shift entails. The document acknowledged that trade between the UK and China was mutually beneficial, yet it also named China as "the biggest state-based threat to the U.K.’s economic security" and called on middle powers to work together in this new geopolitical context.

On the article name
I didn't find a perfect title, and I am open to suggestions. Words such as "pivot", "tilt" and "turn" all seem to be used, but based on a Google search "pivot" seems to be used the most. I do not believe we should name it "European pivot to the Indo-Pacific" as it concerns so far only four European countries, and would disregard Canada. In news reports and analyses, the pivots of these countries are often seen as intertwined (e.g., the publishing of the policy documents came in succession, each dispatched warships around the same time, a Dutch frigate joined the UK carrier strike group, etc.), so I don't think we should split them out at this moment, but perhaps we can revisit this at a later stage. Even if the EU pivots to the Indo-Pacific (it's currently drafting up a policy document which is expected to include such a pivot), the title "Pivot of the European Union to the Indo-Pacific" would likely be a misnomer, as the EU doesn't have warships (only its member states do) nor does it coordinate military activities, and would then still disregard the UK and Canada. Morgengave (talk) 09:05, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

Note to my friendly neighborhood visitors: several topics increasingly get tied together, all linking to the Rise of China, China's foreign policy, and the counterbalancing happening elsewhere as a consequence, with China's neighbors, the US, and its allies being increasingly involved. This sandbox template is just to bring relevant topics and links together, for my own overview and understanding. This to enable me to contribute at a later stage with one or more targeted template(s).