This study examines Romania’s positioning and margins of manoeuvre in the emerging Indo-Pacific order, arguing that the region has evolved from a peripheral concern into a structuring variable of European and Euro-Atlantic security and prosperity. As global economic gravity, technological innovation, and strategic competition shift eastward, Romania – an EU and NATO frontier state – faces a complex adaptation dilemma shaped by the tension between security commitments and geoeconomic opportunities. Drawing on geoeconomic theory, particularly the concept of “weaponized interdependence”, the analysis shows how control over critical supply chains, technologies, and infrastructure has become a central instrument of power. The paper highlights Romania’s current profile as a “loyalist” Euro-Atlantic actor, characterized by strong security alignment but limited capacity to translate this alignment into economic and technological gains from Asia. Through comparative insights from Central and Eastern Europe and sectoral case studies (5G regulation, defence procurement, port connectivity, and strategic partnerships with Japan, South Korea, India, and China), the article identifies the risks of strategic passivity and the externalization of decision-making. It advances the concept of “smart alignment” and suggests an operational doctrine of “active prudence”, combining firm Euro-Atlantic anchoring with selective, security-filtered engagement in the Indo-Pacific. Ultimately, the paper argues that developing a coherent national Indo-Pacific framework is essential for Romania to move from a reactive consumer of security to a proactive node in global value and connectivity networks.
