When East meets West meets Trump’s America: European diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific
The return of Donald Trump could shake the fundamentals of US relationships in the Indo-Pacific. Here’s how Europeans should act
Experts & Staff
Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp
Visiting Fellow
Areas of expertise
Japanese foreign relations, security and defense policy, Japan’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, EU-Japan relations
Languages
German, English, Greek, French (conversational), Japanese (conversational)
Biography
Dr. Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp is a Visiting Fellow of the Asia Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She previously worked as a Japan Analyst based in Munich, as a Policy Fellow at the Progressives Zentrum Berlin and as a Japan Fellow at Agora Strategy Group, where she focused on EU-Japan relations and Japanese foreign policy and security in East Asia.
She also was a Research Assistant and a Forum Ebenhausen-Scholar at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP Berlin) and worked at the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo, as a PhD Scholar.
She holds a PhD from the University of Tübingen, Germany, and has published widely on topics related to Japan’s foreign- and security policy, Sino-Japanese relations and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Triangle of opportunity: How improved relations between South Korea and Japan open doors for the EU
New Japanese prime minister Ishiba Shigeru has signaled a commitment to continuing his predecessor’s outreach to South Korea. Europe should seize the moment to tackle shared challenges with both countries
What Europe can learn from Japan’s approach to the global south
Russia’s war on Ukraine, the US-China rivalry, and evolving geostrategic dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region have pushed Japan to recalibrate its approach to emerging countries in the global south. European governments, facing challenges to restore a positive image in their engagement with these countries, can draw valuable inspiration from Tokyo’s approach
The new central front: Japan’s special role in the West’s strategic rivalry with China
Japan’s approach to economic security provides valuable lessons for Europe about effectively navigating the challenges posed by a rising China
The weight of history: Why the recent thaw in South Korea-Japan relations may not last
A recent thaw in ties between the EU’s two most important partners in East Asia is a potential game-changer for a region fraught with geopolitical danger – but complex domestic politics in both countries may yet derail a truly long-lasting rapprochement
Setting the course: Japan’s new security strategy
Japan’s new security strategy sends a powerful signal to current and future allies – and to possible adversaries
Tokyo drift: War in Europe and Japan’s shifting strategy
Japan has clearly signalled that it will not stand on the sidelines of global crises. It is now committed to bold diplomacy and the protection of the rules-based international order
Russia’s escalation in Ukraine: Views from Asia
Asia’s three largest powers all have a stake in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. China hopes to change the global order, Japan aims to resist this effort, and India is eager not to alienate Russia or the West
Net positive: Europe, Japan, and the benefits of small-scale cyber-security cooperation
Japan supports an open, free, and secure internet, as well as the application of international norms to state activities in cyberspace. The country should be the primary focus of EU efforts to develop a shared cyber-security agenda in the Indo-Pacific
Tough dove: Japan’s China policy under its next leader
Japan’s citizens and leaders across the political spectrum are increasingly aware that China poses a security threat. The country’s next prime minister is unlikely to make a dramatic change to the China policy set by his predecessors
Articles
When East meets West meets Trump’s America: European diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific
The return of Donald Trump could shake the fundamentals of US relationships in the Indo-Pacific. Here’s how Europeans should act
Triangle of opportunity: How improved relations between South Korea and Japan open doors for the EU
New Japanese prime minister Ishiba Shigeru has signaled a commitment to continuing his predecessor’s outreach to South Korea. Europe should seize the moment to tackle shared challenges with both countries
What Europe can learn from Japan’s approach to the global south
Russia’s war on Ukraine, the US-China rivalry, and evolving geostrategic dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region have pushed Japan to recalibrate its approach to emerging countries in the global south. European governments, facing challenges to restore a positive image in their engagement with these countries, can draw valuable inspiration from Tokyo’s approach
The new central front: Japan’s special role in the West’s strategic rivalry with China
Japan’s approach to economic security provides valuable lessons for Europe about effectively navigating the challenges posed by a rising China
The weight of history: Why the recent thaw in South Korea-Japan relations may not last
A recent thaw in ties between the EU’s two most important partners in East Asia is a potential game-changer for a region fraught with geopolitical danger – but complex domestic politics in both countries may yet derail a truly long-lasting rapprochement
Setting the course: Japan’s new security strategy
Japan’s new security strategy sends a powerful signal to current and future allies – and to possible adversaries
Tokyo drift: War in Europe and Japan’s shifting strategy
Japan has clearly signalled that it will not stand on the sidelines of global crises. It is now committed to bold diplomacy and the protection of the rules-based international order
Russia’s escalation in Ukraine: Views from Asia
Asia’s three largest powers all have a stake in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. China hopes to change the global order, Japan aims to resist this effort, and India is eager not to alienate Russia or the West
Net positive: Europe, Japan, and the benefits of small-scale cyber-security cooperation
Japan supports an open, free, and secure internet, as well as the application of international norms to state activities in cyberspace. The country should be the primary focus of EU efforts to develop a shared cyber-security agenda in the Indo-Pacific
Tough dove: Japan’s China policy under its next leader
Japan’s citizens and leaders across the political spectrum are increasingly aware that China poses a security threat. The country’s next prime minister is unlikely to make a dramatic change to the China policy set by his predecessors
Podcasts
The geopolitics of cybersecurity
Dr Janka Oertel discusses with Dr Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp and Bonji Ohara the cooperation in the field of cybersecurity between two of the US closest allies
Events
20 Jan
Europe & Japan relations after the US elections
How will the new administration impact US Indo-Pacific strategy and China policy?
In the media
In general, the NATO-IP4 cooperation is a good thing, since it symbolizes the recognition that both the Indo-Pacific theater and the European theater are linked
Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp comments on NATO-IP4 cooperation
Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp on German-Japanese trade and defence cooperation
With the war in Ukraine, Germany has entered a new era in security and defence policy, but this does not change Germany’s interests in the Indo-Pacific
Elli Pohlkamp comments on Germany’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific
Dr. Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp elaborates on German and Japanese Defense Spending in light of the war in Ukraine
He [Kadisha] will keep the noticeably harder line against Beijing because I believe a reverse course will not be well accepted domestically as well as internationally
Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp aruges that while PM Kishida has stressed that dialogue with China will be necessary, it is unlikely that he will dramatically change the course set by his predecessors