Europe and Geopolitical Spillover Effects from the Asia-Pacific

An issue that the European Union needs to address is that geopolitical rivalry in the Asia-Pacific, notably between the US and China, may spill over into and affect regional stability in Europe. The main potential conduits for geopolitical spillover between the two regions are (1) the role of the US as a major military actor in both regions, (2) strategic partnerships and alliances, and (3) economic dependencies. What the EU and its member states need to do to limit the risk of geopolitical spillover is increase Europe's ability to militarily deter Russia and decrease European dependence on US military protection; stabilize the currently volatile security relationship with Russia and avoid a European military role in the Asia-Pacific (via NATO or otherwise); and ensure that the EU's economic relations with China are based on two-way dependencies.

By Frans-Paul van der Putten. 

Chapter 3 in: Security Order and Strategic Alignment in Europe and the Asia-Pacific: Times of Global Power Shifts, edited by Elena Atanassova-Cornelis, Yoichiro Sato and Tom Sauer. Taylor & Francis, 2025.