The defense policies of European nations and the European Union (EU) towards Asia exhibit a high degree of conceptual alignment with U.S. strategies against China and Russia, particularly in upholding the rules-based international order, freedom of navigation, and opposing coercion.

However, this alignment is tempered by significant differences in priority, explicit focus, and operational capability, reflecting Europe's distinct economic interests and its drive for greater strategic autonomy.

Conceptual Alignment: Shared Strategic Concerns

Europe broadly shares the fundamental strategic assessment of the United States regarding the challenges posed by the evolving China-Russia alignment and their assertive actions globally and in the Indo-Pacific.

Shared View of China

The U.S. and Europe largely concur on the need to manage the rise of an increasingly assertive China. Both perceive China simultaneously as a cooperation partner (on global challenges like climate change), an economic competitor, and a systemic rival.

• Rules-Based Order: Europe's various Indo-Pacific strategies (EU, France, Germany, Netherlands, UK) universally emphasize the importance of upholding international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the principle of freedom of navigation. This directly aligns with a key element of the U.S. strategy to counter China's expansive maritime claims, particularly in the South China Sea.

• Economic Security: There is growing transatlantic alignment on issues of economic coercion, supply chain resilience, and securing critical technologies. Europe is increasingly adopting measures, such as investment screening and export controls, to mitigate vulnerabilities to China, mirroring U.S. concerns about Beijing’s mercantilist and coercive economic policies.

• Taiwan and South China Sea: European states and the EU have become more vocal on flashpoints like the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, often coordinating diplomatic notes and statements that implicitly or explicitly challenge China’s territorial claims and military build-up, thus supporting the U.S. goal of maintaining regional stability.

Shared Concern on the Russia-China Nexus

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 fundamentally linked the European and Indo-Pacific security theaters. Europe now sees the strategic partnership between Russia and China as a combined, interconnected challenge to global security.

• Support for Russia: European countries are deeply concerned that China's economic and diplomatic support for the Kremlin enables Moscow's sustained war effort. This linkage makes European engagement in the Indo-Pacific an indirect but essential part of the strategy to isolate Russia and defend European security.

• Geopolitical Competition: Both Washington and European capitals view the Sino-Russian alignment as a challenge to the existing international order, with both powers seeking to promote alternative models of governance and diminish Western influence.

Divergence: Priorities, Explicit Focus, and Operational Scope

While the overall strategic direction is aligned, significant differences exist in the explicit focus, the degree of assertiveness, and the military role Europe is willing and able to play.

Strategic Autonomy vs. Alliance Focus

Europe, and particularly the EU, is seeking to develop a greater degree of strategic autonomy, which often translates into a desire to avoid being forced to choose unequivocally between the U.S. and China.

• "De-risking" vs. "Decoupling": Europe favors a policy of "de-risking" (reducing economic vulnerabilities and over-dependence on China) rather than the more aggressive "decoupling" often advocated by some elements in the U.S. policy establishment. Many European states, particularly Germany, remain heavily invested in the Chinese market and seek to compartmentalize security issues from economic engagement.

• Non-Security Focus: The EU's Indo-Pacific strategy is decidedly multidimensional and normative, emphasizing cooperation on trade, climate change, connectivity, and development. This contrasts with the predominant security-first frame of the U.S. and its core Asian partners (Japan, Australia). Europe aims to be seen as a reliable partner that offers regional states an alternative to the intense U.S.-China strategic competition.

Difference in Explicit Adversary Designation

U.S. strategy explicitly targets China as the "pacing threat." The EU's official posture, however, tends to be more country-neutral, focusing on promoting principles (e.g., freedom of navigation, international law) rather than singling out Beijing.

• This softer diplomatic approach is designed to maintain avenues for cooperation with China on shared global challenges and reflects the internal divisions within the 27-member EU, where member states have varying levels of dependence and threat perception regarding China.

Military Role and Capability Limitations

The most substantial difference lies in the military and security dimension, where Europe's role is largely complementary rather than core to the containment effort.

• Limited Military Contribution: Europe's military contribution to balancing China in the Indo-Pacific is modest compared to the U.S. and its local allies. While the United Kingdom (via AUKUS and deployment of a carrier strike group) and France (as a resident power with overseas territories) have a more visible naval presence, their deployments are generally symbolic demonstrations of commitment to freedom of navigation rather than a significant increase in the regional balance of power.

• European Theater Priority: For continental European states, the immediate and existential military threat remains Russia on the eastern flank of Europe. The primary focus of increased European defense spending and NATO coordination is on shoring up deterrence and defense in the Euro-Atlantic area. The U.S. expects European allies to take on greater responsibility for European security to allow Washington to pivot more resources to the Indo-Pacific.

Aligned Values, Divergent Means

Europe’s defense policies in Asia align with U.S. strategies against China and Russia to a high degree in principle but a moderate degree in practice and prioritization.

The core strategic objective—to counter the disruptive, coercive actions of the China-Russia axis and defend the rules-based order—is shared. However, Europe’s strategy is characterized by an economic and normative emphasis, a quest for strategic autonomy, and a necessary military focus on its own immediate neighborhood. European action in Asia, primarily diplomatic and economic, serves as a crucial "flank-support" to the U.S.-led hard security architecture, rather than a direct military pillar of the anti-China strategy. The interconnected nature of the Russia and China challenges means that a robust European defense against Russia is now considered a vital contribution to U.S. strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific.