France, Jan. 29 -- For decades, the Euopean Union - the world's largest trading bloc - has operated within an international order anchored by close economic and security ties with the United States.

However, Washington's renewed willingness to wield tariffs, security guarantees and diplomatic pressure as bargaining tools has reinforced a growing conviction in Brussels that Europe must broaden its partnerships and reduce its exposure to political shock waves.

Depsite being heckled as weak and irrelevant by the White House, the EU has responded with an outward-looking strategy.

Over the past year, the bloc has struck or revived trade deals across Asia and Latin America, upgraded ties with key partners in the Indo-Pacific and pushed ahead...