EU Strives to Win a Bigger Say in China’s Backyard

  • European Union gathers about 20 countries from Indo-Pacific
  • Critical raw materials, Ukraine are among issues at stake

Beijing, China. 

Source: VCG/Visual China Group/Getty Images

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The European Union offered closer political and investment ties to some 20 countries from across the Indo-Pacific region, as the bloc seeks more influence despite ever-growing Chinese and US ambitions.

At a forum which gathered foreign ministers from the EU and the Indo-Pacific, several speakers touted the Global Gateway program, Europe’s answer to China’s massive infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative. The meeting Saturday was itself a snub to Beijing, which wasn’t invited.