The European Global Gateway versus China's Belt Road Initiative in the Indo Pacific

Author : Chung-hung Cho

Abstract :This article focuses on the European Union’s measures through the Global Gateway (GG) initiative to strengthen its role in the Indo-Pacific region. The strategy serves as a paradigm for the EU’s long term inter-regionalism approach, motivated by economic and idealistic goals. It highlights two key driving forces: balancing strategic interests and promoting positive development. On one hand, the EU’s GG strategy adopts a global and regional approach, emphasizing sustainable developments in economic, financial, and environmental domains while upholding democratic and ethical values. It is widely regarded as an alternative and counterbalancing strategy to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). On the other hand, the GG is frequently compared to the BRI, as both initiatives focus on infrastructure investment. The emergence of the GG coincides with China’s growing influence on the global stage, particularly in the evolving geopolitical landscape involving potential EU strategic partners or competitors. Beyond the introduction, the second section of this article analyzes the interrelation between interregionalism and the EU’s normative power. The third section examines the GG initiative, analyzing its role as an alternative or countermeasure to the BRI within the framework of the EU’s long-term strategies in the Indo-Pacific. The discussion interprets how the normative emphasis of the GG competes and collaborates with China’s BRI in the Indo-Pacific region. The conclusion summarizes the interplay between the two key forces of the GG: balancing strategic interests and promoting positive development

Keywords :Global Gateway, Belt and Road Initiative, Eurasia Relations, Indo-pacific.

Conference Name :International Conference on European and Eurasian Studies (ICEES-25)

Conference Place Granada, Spain

Conference Date 26th Jun 2025