IN-PERSON REGISTRATION
VIRTUAL REGISTRATION
Germany and the U.S. stand to gain from working together in the Indo-Pacific – as does the region on the whole.
European and Indo-Pacific security are inextricably linked. Indeed, Germany’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific has been growing for years – a reflection of the region’s importance for Germany’s trading partners and shipping routes – and as laid out in its 2020 “Indo-Pacific Guidelines”. But with the war in Ukraine ushering in a new era of German and European defense policy, the Indo-Pacific’s role in European security has increased significantly as well. Whether it is in protecting freedom of navigation, strengthening resilience of Pacific Island States, working with countries in the Indo-Pacific on their defense industrial base, or confronting strategic competition in the region, Germany and the U.S. stand to gain from working together – as does the region on the whole. Drawing on his diplomatic experience from serving in China, Berlin and Washington D.C., Alex will discuss how the U.S. and Germany can align their strategic interests in the region – and where they might diverge.
Alex Taylor-Fowles has worked on Indo-Pacific Affairs for the German Embassy in Washington D.C. since July 2024. Before joining the Embassy, Alex served for one year as the Transatlantic Diplomatic Fellow in the U.S. Department of State, first in the Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs, and then in China House, where he supported the expansion of the Strategic Communications team. Prior to his posting in Washington D.C., Alex served as Chief of Staff to the German government’s Commissioner for Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance between 2020 and 2023, in the foreign office’s headquarters in Berlin. Between 2017 and 2020, he served as German’s Deputy Consul General in Chengdu, China, where he led the Consulate’s public diplomacy work, as well as trade and economic affairs. From 2014-16, he covered science diplomacy, environmental and cyber issues at the Embassy in London. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Warwick and a master’s in environmental technology from Imperial College London, where he won the award for best thesis. Before entering the foreign service, he worked for several years in the private sector, in business development, communications and sustainability consulting. He is a 2023 Young Leader of the American Council on Germany.”
