Germany and the Indo-Pacific in an age of superpower competition

Abstract

The world is multipolar once again and superpower competition is back, concentrated this time in the Indo-Pacific region. In 2020, Germany published its Indo-Pacific ‘guidelines’, which lead to three questions: why does Germany engage in the region? How does Germany shape its Indo-Pacific policy? What is the importance of Germany’s engagement in the region, for Germany itself and for regional powers? By exploring economic, security and normative elements, this articles advances three arguments. Firstly, Germany’s engagement in the region is due to the ever-growing strategic and economic importance of the Indo-Pacific. Secondly, Germany attempts to build constructive relations with all the region’s powers, China included, but increasingly prioritizes democracies which share the same values as Germany. Thirdly, because the area of superpower competition has shifted from Europe to the ‘distant’ (from Germany’s perspective) Indo-Pacific, Germany can follow a restrained foreign policy and focus on its economic interests.