The EU and Japan have been talking about deepening security ties against China, as we read in Kyodo News:

Japan and the European Union are considering issuing a joint statement announcing their intention to enhance maritime, cyberspace and supply chain security cooperation after their leaders meet next week, diplomatic sources said Monday.

European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to hold a regular summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Brussels on July 13.

In the statement, Japan and the EU are likely to pledge to bolster their joint drills in the Indo-Pacific region and help beef up the maritime defense capabilities of Southeast Asian countries, apparently with China in mind, the sources said.

Japan and several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have become increasingly wary of Beijing, which has been showing its military and economic clout in the region, including the East and South China seas.

EU leaders issued a communique following their two-day summit through Friday, saying the East and South China seas are “of strategic importance for regional and global prosperity and security” and expressing concern about growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.