The Asia Pacific Initiative (API) held a roundtable on November 19, 2025, welcoming Moreno Bertoldi, Senior Associate Research Fellow at ISPI (Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale), Italy. He is also currently a research fellow at the European Union Center, National Taiwan University (NTU).

Mr. Bertoldi delivered an insightful presentation to API experts on the concept of the EU as an “incomplete superpower,” positioned between an “extractive superpower,” the United States, and a “dependency superpower,” the People’s Republic of China.

By defining the characteristics of both extractive and dependency superpowers, he explained how the US and China currently fit these categories and how they exert increasing pressure on international actors such as the EU.

The second part of his presentation examined the political and economic challenges facing the EU, rooted in its ongoing process of integration, which support its characterization as an incomplete superpower. Mr. Bertoldi concluded by suggesting potential pathways for the EU to achieve strategic autonomy, highlighting areas in which collaboration with third countries could help counterbalance the influence of the two superpowers.

API would like to thank Mr. Bertoldi for visiting the International House of Japan (IHJ) and sharing his timely research on the trends and challenges facing the EU and other countries, including Japan.