Generally secluded and far from news headlines, the Pacific Island states have been in the limelight because of
summits with India, South Korea and the United States (US). The recent visit by President Emmanuel Macron (24-29 July) to the French overseas territories and to the non-French islands of Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu—the first by any French President—is an attempt to present a
French alternative to the region. As great powers look to broaden their area of influence, there is a renewed interest in the region, which was once described by US General Douglas MacArthur as an
Anglo-Saxon lake. It last experienced such churnings during the Second World War, when active naval warfare gave it strategic and logistical importance. The ensuing nuclear weapons race further increased the significance of these islands for < style="color: #0000ff">
the US, the United Kingdom (UK), and France, < style="color: #000000">with the region serving as a nuclear weapons testing site< style="color: #000000">.
President Macron described France as an ‘Indo-Pacific power’ in 2018 and subsequently Paris unveiled its Indo-Pacific strategy, reinvigorating its engagements in the region.
France is the only European Union (EU) country to have a territorial presence in the region. President Macron described France as an ‘
Indo-Pacific power’ in 2018 and subsequently Paris unveiled its Indo-Pacific strategy, reinvigorating its engagements in the region. This article looks into France’s increasing role in the region and the potential strategic benefits that it accrues.
France: Pacific Islands’ resident power
France’s overseas territories of New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and Clipperton Island provide it with a geographical presence in the Pacific. These territories in the Pacific account for
6,932,775 square kilometres of exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the total French EEZ of
10,911,921 square kilometres, making it the world’s second-largest EEZ. French Polynesia alone makes up 44 percent of the entire French EEZ. France maintains a permanent military presence in the South Pacific through
2,900 military personnel, stationed in New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Paris has a diplomatic presence in the region with embassies at
Canberra,
Wellington,
Port Moresby, Suva, and Port Vila—the most by any EU state.
What France offers to the region
France’s Indo-Pacific strategy lays out the framework of French outreach in the South Pacific region. Accordingly, science and technology represent a critical part of this strategy, accounting for the true source of soft power. The network of research institutes and development agencies operating in the Pacific benefits the whole region. They promote cooperation on the issues of
biodiversity protection, marine resources, healthcare, and
agriculture. France is the founding member of the
Pacific Community, the region’s largest scientific and technological organisation supporting development, based in Nouméa, New Caledonia.
Table 1: French Scientific Research Institutes in Pacific Region
| Research Institute |
Location |
Area of Research/Work |
| Louis Malarde Institute |
Papeete |
Biomedical, marine biotoxins, medical entomology, infectious disease |
| New Caledonian Agricultural Institute |
Nouméa |
Sustainable agriculture, agroecology, biodiversity, climate change and adaptation |
| Centre for Island Research and Environmental Observatory |
Moorea |
Coral reefs |
| Pasteur Institute |
Nouméa |
Medical entomology, arboviruses, leptospirosis, epidemiology |
| Research Institute for Development |
Nouméa |
Achieving Sustainable Development Goals |
| French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea |
Tahiti |
Marine and digital infrastructure, biological and physical resources oceanography and deep-sea ecosystems |
Source: Data compiled by the author
The French Development Agency or
Agence Francaise De Developpement (AFD) is at the forefront of committing funds to development purposes. In 2018, the agency expanded its mandate for regional projects in the Pacific for adaptation to climate change and biodiversity, which was amended in 2021 to allow the agency to participate even in bilateral projects. The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs further aims to allocate a minimum of
1 percent of AFD project grant authorisations, specifically for the region, amounting to 5 to 10 million euros annually.
France has initiated the Kiwa Initiative in the context of the existential climate crisis for the island states. It is a multi-donor programme to strengthen the climate change resilience of Pacific Island states that is managed and implemented by the AFD. As the largest contributor to the initiative, France has stepped up with
additional funding worth 18 million euros, increasing the total funding to 75 million euros.
Besides these scientific and economic initiatives, France is a member of the South Pacific Defense Ministers Meeting, the regional security forum, wherein in 2017 it proposed for a coordinated study on the
security impact of climate change in the South Pacific. France also leads the multinational ‘
Croix du Sud’, the flagship Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief regional exercise.
Besides these scientific and economic initiatives, France is a member of the South Pacific Defense Ministers Meeting, the regional security forum, wherein in 2017 it proposed for a coordinated study on the security impact of climate change in the South Pacific.
The vast expanses of EEZ supplemented by the absence of proper patrolling makes these island states vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which not only exploits their marine resources but also violates their sovereignty. France has acted time and again to combat predatory fishing. In 2016, French forces acted against
Vietnamese fishing boats harvesting sea cucumbers not only in the EEZ of New Caledonia but also in the EEZ of the Solomon Islands.
France’s action-oriented cooperation
French foreign policy expert Antoine Bondaz describes France’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific as ‘
puissance d’initiatives’, meaning power of initiatives. Indeed, French initiatives have given alternatives to the island states, thus easing their dependence on traditional partners. It also contributes to easing of tensions caused by the US-China rivalry.
In 2018, President Macron pitched the idea of the
Paris-Delhi-Canberra axis to streamline cooperation with a wider focus on the Indo-Pacific. The resultant
India-France-Australia (IFA) Trilateral Dialogue was launched in 2020. However, it took a temporary backseat as the Australian submarine deal with the French Naval Group collapsed in 2021, and created differences between Canberra and Paris. The dialogue has been revived now with the
second round that was held in June 2023. Cooperation with Australia aids the nuanced security of the South Pacific in accordance with the
Boe Declaration of 2018, which comprehensively outlines the expanded scope of security.
The strong case of having an India-Japan-France trilateral, focusing on maritime security gives more traction to France in the region.
France has contributed to regional disaster relief efforts, through the
FRANZ trilateral agreement signed in 1992 with Australia and New Zealand. In the aftermath of the
volcanic eruption in Tonga in January 2022, FRANZ, then chaired by France, was activated to coordinate the emergency response. Besides, there is also the Quadrilateral Defense Coordinating Group consisting of the US, Australia, New Zealand and France, which provides maritime surveillance to the Pacific Island states to
tackle illegal fishing.
The strong case of having an
India-Japan-France trilateral, focusing on maritime security gives more traction to France in the region. This becomes evident as India is a strategic partner and Japan has stakes in the region. Japan’s launch of
Overseas Security Assistance (OSA), with Fiji expected to be an initial recipient and six Pacific Island Countries featuring among the top 10 coastal countries visited by the
Japanese Distant Water Fleet in 2017, strengthens the case for the trilateral.
However, not everything bodes well for Paris in the region. For example, its presence in the region has been tainted by its colonial past. In fact, some see the occupation of Matthew and Hunter Islands as a continuation of French colonialism. This French control has also caused a territorial dispute with Vanuatu. Moreover, an expanding Chinese presence in the region has also increased pressure on France. The region itself is undergoing change, as was evident from the 2021 rift in the Pacific Island Forum caused by the
withdrawal of five Micronesian island states. Developments such as these have limited the French role and its outreach to the Pacific Island States. However, Paris is expected to bank on the region’s desire to seek stability and find areas of convergence for cooperation, then be pawns in the broader geopolitical contestation.
Shourya Gori is an intern with the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation.
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
PREV
