France is navigating its own path as an alternative power to China and the US in the South China Sea as the military build-up continues in the Indo-Pacific, one of the world’s most strategic and volatile regions. After sending its nuclear attack submarine Émeraude through the South China Sea in early February, Paris is to deploy its amphibious assault ship, the Tonnerre, and the frigate Surcouf to sail twice through waters claimed by Beijing, to assert its own presence in the region. Dr Collin Koh, a Research Fellow at RSIS, described the “absolute intensity of the warship presence planned for this year” as “unprecedented” but said it was more like a set of “national roadshows to showcase their Indo-Pacific commitment” than coordinated.