The 15th International Asia & Pacific Conference (Strategic Autonomy in the Multipolar Indo-Pacific: Trade, Security, and the Reorganization of Global Value Chains) takes place at a time of profound transformation in the economic and strategic order of the Indo-Pacific region.

The EU–India Free Trade Agreement, signed in January 2026 after nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations, illustrates these broader developments, although it does not fully capture their scope. Concluded amid the pressures of the United States’ tariff policies, China’s growing strategic assertiveness, and the weakening of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the agreement represents an instrument of open strategic autonomy. Both Brussels and New Delhi sought to reduce structural dependencies and diversify their economic partnerships within an increasingly multipolar international environment.

The trade agreement was complemented by a separate EU-India Security and Defence Partnership covering maritime security, cyber resilience, and cooperation in the defence industry. As a result, trade policy in the Indo-Pacific can no longer be considered in isolation from issues of security, technology, and foreign policy.