February 21, 2022

France is scheduled to host the first European ministerial meeting on the Indo-Pacific on Tuesday, rolling out the red carpet for foreign ministers of EU member states and some 30 countries in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as representatives of European institutions and the main regional organizations. However, China and the US have not been invited.

Chinese observers on Monday said the absence of Beijing and Washington from the forum showed that France and the EU are looking at underscoring their independent voices on Indo-Pacific regional affairs as stakeholders through the event, and desire to play a constructive role in building a new balance in the region. 

France's guest list for the event runs from regional heavyweights like Japan, India and South Korea through to archipelagos like Comoros and Micronesia, as well as the ASEAN bloc. 

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