Paris’ attempts to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific has resulted in deeper economic and security partnerships, based on the activities of its officials, military and businesses in recent months.

As nations contend with the emergence of new world orders, the Indo-Pacific has become the latest stage for major powers to defend their interests, prompting new strategies for the region, and France is no exception.

Since 2018, Paris has attempted to assert itself as one of the major players in the Indo-Pacific, launching its own game plan for the region it describes as “weakened” by “the global competition” between the US and China. The French approach, as it stands, aims to keep the region “free of all forms of coercion and founded on multilateralism”.

Its ambitions only intensified in 2021, when Australia, which at the time was in talks with France for a submarine contract, pulled out to form a defense partnership with the US and the United Kingdom called AUKUS. Under this scheme, Washington would give away its state-of-the-art nuclear-powered submarine technology.

“Their bilateral engagements with countries like Indonesia and ASEAN as a whole have skyrocketed in recent years. The peak of its engagement was the ‘two-plus-two’ dialogue with Jakarta last week,” said Gilang Kembara, an international relations expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), on Friday.

Last week, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto flew to Paris to engage in the first French-Indonesian ministerial-level consultations on Indo-Pacific political and security cooperation, while also exploring avenues for future defense cooperation.

The meeting came only a year after Retno and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna agreed to strengthen their bilateral defense cooperation by announcing Jakarta’s purchase of 42 French military aircraft on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bali.

The deal came only a few days after India, which French President Emmanuel Macron described as “a strategic partner and a friend”, sealed a deal with Paris to procure 26 Dassault Rafale fighter jets and three Scorpene-class submarines, advancing their partnership in the Indo-Pacific, where the Chinese presence has sparked anxiety in New Delhi.

A proud stand-out

France, analysts note, has legitimate economic and political interests in the region, given that it continues to govern overseas territories in the South Pacific. And despite its leadership position within the European Union, which leans closer to the US than China, France has historically displayed a tendency to assert its influence and refuses to be perceived as merely part of a larger alliance.

“Geopolitically, France is a unique character. It has always aligned with the West, but it is always eager to show its own identity. This was apparent during the Cold War, when it left [NATO]. In today’s context, we can also see this personality trait. We can see France signaling that it is not just another US groupie,” Dafri Agussalim, an international relations expert from Gadjah Mada University, told The Jakarta Post.

On Wednesday, France showcased several of its military aircraft at East Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, a show of force as part of its 2023 Pégase Mission that runs from late June to early August. Among the aircraft on display were six Rafale fighters and four A400M Airbus transport aircraft.

“As a country that has territory in the Indo-Pacific, France is showcasing its capabilities to protect its citizens and interests in the zone,” the French Embassy stated in a press release.

Data from the 2023 Global Firepower Index indicates that the US remains the strongest military power in the world, followed by Russia and China. Meanwhile, France ranks ninth in the world overall with a score of 0.1711.

But while it is considered inferior to the US and China in terms of military prowess, analysts note that its activity in the region could still prove useful for non-aligned nations such as Indonesia by offering “a third option”.

“France is offering these countries [...] an alternative partner. It is helping to dilute the competition; everything is game. Everything is fair play,” Gilang suggested.

This sentiment is apparently shared by Jakarta’s officials.

“The Indonesia-France relationship, especially in the defense sector, has been the best it has ever been in the past few decades,” said Prabowo in his meeting with his French counterpart last week.

“And per President [Joko Widodo’s] instructions, the relationship between our two countries will continue for a long time,” he added.