The French Indian Ocean Overseas Collectivities in France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
By Paco Milhiet
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.
Author
Dr Paco Milhiet, Visiting Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore
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.