France says it wants to help Bangladesh and other South Asian partners strengthen strategic autonomy amid growing rivalry between the US and China….reports Asian Lite News Desk
France is seeking to promote a “third way” in the Indo Pacific as rivalry between the United States and China intensifies, with Paris encouraging South Asian partners such as Bangladesh to strengthen their own strategic autonomy.
France’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean Marc Sere Charlet said France and Europe were seeking to act as a balancing power in the region, drawing on France’s position as an Indian Ocean nation.
Speaking to reporters in Dhaka on Monday, Sere Charlet said France’s approach to the Indo Pacific was centred on multilateral cooperation and giving countries greater freedom to determine their own strategic priorities.
“Democratic and strategic interests in the Indo Pacific region, particularly in its relations with Bangladesh, are centred around promoting a multilateral third way. Faced with a growing rivalry between the United States and China, France is positioning itself, like Europe, with Europe, as a balancing power, leveraging its status as an Indian Ocean nation. Promoting a third way in the face of big powers means what? It means, first, strategic autonomy,” he said.
The ambassador said France wanted its South Asian partners to avoid being forced into choosing between the two major powers or their respective groupings.
“France aims to help its partners in South Asia, such as Bangladesh, but others, achieve their own strategic autonomy, so that they are not forced to choose between two big states or two big groups,” Sere Charlet said.
He also highlighted France’s opposition to imperialism and linked the country’s Indo Pacific strategy to maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean.
“We reject imperialism, and it’s very important to reassert that we are for a middle game. Maritime security and stability in the Indian Ocean, of course, start with the freedom of navigation,” he said.
Sere Charlet said the Northern Indian Ocean was an important route for global trade and that France remained committed to upholding international maritime law in the region.
He said this included addressing risks associated with territorial claims and expansionism while strengthening cooperation on maritime surveillance and sovereignty.
“As the Northern Indian Ocean is a vital maritime route for global trade, France is committed to upholding international maritime law in the region, addressing the risk of territorial claims and expansionism,” he said.
The ambassador also pointed to France’s efforts to strengthen partnerships to tackle non traditional security threats in the region, including illegal fishing, piracy and trafficking.
“It also implies surveillance and sovereignty, as France, with the largest maritime domain in the region, is strengthening its partnership to combat non traditional threats, including illegal fishing, piracy, and trafficking that Bangladesh is also facing,” he said.
France’s position reflects its wider strategic interests in the Indo Pacific and its relationship with Bangladesh, as competition between Washington and Beijing continues to shape the region’s geopolitical landscape.
The French approach places emphasis on multilateralism, maritime security and greater strategic autonomy for regional partners rather than alignment with either major power.
For Bangladesh, France’s engagement comes as South Asian countries seek to navigate growing competition among major powers while maintaining room for independent foreign policy choices.
Paris has presented its Indo Pacific strategy as part of a broader effort to strengthen partnerships across the region and support international rules governing trade, navigation and maritime security.
