With absence of US and China at EU forum, Indo-Pacific countries won’t be ‘pressured’ to pick sides

The exclusion of the world’s top two superpowers, China and the United States, from a summit on the Indo Pacific is likely a diplomatic move to allow other countries to pursue their own interests without being forced to choose sides. The European Union will host its third Indo-Pacific forum in Brussels on Friday (Feb 2). China has never been invited to the gathering of foreign ministers, while the US, which participated in last year's iteration, did not receive an invitation to the forum this year. Dr Pushan Dutt, professor of economics and political science at INSEAD, shares his views on CNA’s Asia First. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia