Italy's engagement with the Indo-Pacific region has evolved from sporadic bilateral activity into a more structured strategic posture, though Rome has not published a single, freestanding "Indo-Pacific Strategy" document of the kind issued by France (2018/2021), Germany (2020), or the Netherlands (2020). Instead, Italian policy in the region is articulated through a combination of Foreign Ministry guidelines, Defence Ministry planning documents, and alignment with the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific adopted by the Council in April 2021.
Key features of the Italian approach include:
- Economic and trade focus: Italy emphasises supply-chain resilience, market access for Italian industry (particularly defence, aerospace, shipbuilding, and luxury goods), and connectivity. Italy formally exited China's Belt and Road Initiative MoU in December 2023, reorienting toward Indo-Pacific partners.
- Defence diplomacy: The Italian Navy has conducted increasingly regular deployments east of Suez. The aircraft carrier Cavour and the offshore patrol vessel Francesco Morosini deployed to the Indo-Pacific in 2024, with port calls in Japan, the Philippines, India, and others, conducting exercises with regional partners.
- The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP): Signed by Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan in December 2022 and formalised through a convention in December 2023, GCAP is the most concrete pillar of Italy's Indo-Pacific tilt, binding Rome to a sixth-generation fighter project with Tokyo.
- Partnerships: Italy elevated relations with Japan to a Strategic Partnership in 2023 and pursues closer ties with India, South Korea, Australia, and ASEAN states. Italy became an ASEAN Development Partner in 2020.
- Multilateral alignment: Italian policy is framed as complementary to NATO's growing attention to the region and the EU's Indo-Pacific strategy, rather than as an autonomous power-projection doctrine.
Under the Meloni government (from October 2022), Indo-Pacific engagement has been treated as a priority of Italy's broader foreign-policy recalibration, though resources remain modest compared with France or the United Kingdom.
Example
In summer 2024, the Italian Navy deployed the aircraft carrier Cavour to the Indo-Pacific, conducting joint exercises with Japan's JMSDF and port visits to the Philippines and India.
Frequently asked questions
No. Unlike France, Germany, or the Netherlands, Italy has not issued a standalone white paper. Its approach is set out through ministerial statements, defence planning, and alignment with the EU's 2021 Indo-Pacific Strategy.
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