Indo-Pacific Analysis Brief Vol 46
The French Indian Ocean
Overseas Collectivities in France’s
Indo-Pacific Strategy
August 2024
Paco Milhiet
Dr Paco Milhiet holds a PhD in International Relations jointly conferred by the University of French Polynesia and the Catholic Institute of Paris. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.
Key Messages
↗ From 2018, France’s President Emmanuel Macron has normalized a French Indo-Pacific strategy to enhance France’s military, economic, diplomatic and political assets in the region
↗ The exercise of sovereignty in the French overseas territories of the Indian Ocean, including Reunion Island, Mayotte, the Scattered Islands, and the Subantarctic Islands, is a significant component of the strategy
↗ Despite their unique characteristics and geopolitical contexts, each of these territories contributes to France’s ambition to become a credible regional power in the Indo-Pacific Region
↗ French sovereignty over some of these territories is disputed. Mayotte is claimed by Comoros, while the Scattered Islands are contested by Madagascar and Mauritius
↗ Franco-Australian cooperation in the Indian Ocean is not as advanced as in the Pacific Region. But it can – and should – become a significant area of cooperation between the two countries.
