France announces vital ‘strategic triangle’ with India and Japan

In a major move, France on Tuesday announced that there would be a “strategic triangle” along with India and Japan “committed to a rulesbased Indo-Pacific” region. The announcement made by French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain in New Delhi during an “India-FranceJapan Workshop on the Indo-Pacific” organised by thinktank Observer Research Foundation is being seen by foreign policy watchers as significant, given the increasing Chinese military and economic assertiveness in the region.

France, though essentially a European nation, has territories in the Pacific Ocean and Southern Indian Ocean and so is also an IndoPacific nation. France is also a major strategic partner of India. It may be recalled that India, along with the United States, Japan and Australia, is already a member of the four nation Quad, an arrangement that aims to preserve a “rules-based order” in the Indo-Pacific region.

“We are building a strategic triangle between Paris, Tokyo and New Delhi, committed to a rules-based Indo-Pacific and in keeping with our values. Our joint work focuses on maritime security and digital connectivity,” Lenain tweeted.

Participating in the workshop, Japanese ambassador Satoshi Suzuki said, “This vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific cannot be achieved by a single country alone. It requires collective efforts of likeminded countries like India and France. At the heart of this shared vision are universal values such as freedom, openness, and inclusiveness . ... It goes without saying that India is the indispensable partner in Japan’s endeavor to achieve our vision. A free and open Indo-Pacific is a natural shared goal for the two Asian maritime powers: Japan in the Pacific and India in the Indian Ocean.”

Speaking at the workshop, Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, “An IndoPacific guided by norms and governed by rules, with freedom of navigation, open connectivity, and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, is an article of faith for India.

FRANCE, THOUGH essentially a European nation, has territories in the Pacific Ocean and Southern Indian Ocean and so is also an Indo-Pacific nation.