Written by Dr Denis Suarsana
Countries like Japan, South Korea, and Australia are becoming increasingly important. The EU is markedly punching below its weight in Southeast Asia and needs to fight hard to stay relevant at all.
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Written by Blake H. Berger
If Trump prevails in the 2024 election, and if his first term indicates what the region can expect from a second one, hold tight because it will get ugly.
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Written by Kyoko Hatakeyama
Moreover, since Japan has maintained a stable relationship with China — despite their territorial disputes — the region does not have to worry about backlash or anger from China just because they choose Japan over China.
Read MoreWritten by Marshall Reid and Zoe Weaver-Lee
Fuelled by rapidly growing private investment, state-led cooperative initiatives and broader changes in regional trade flows, Taiwan has established itself as a key economic player in the ASEAN region.
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Written by Elli Pohlkamp
This behaviour of inactivity and standing on the sidelines has changed now, driven by the concern that one day Japan might need help from its Western alliance partners should the security situation around Japan change.
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Written by Stephen Nagy
The raft of recent international trade agreements speaks to the multi-layered and multilateral approach many Indo-Pacific states are pursuing to deal with China.
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The reinvigoration of the Quad and the announcement of the AUKUS last year have been a subject of much consternation and debate. While they signal renewed diplomatic energy on Washington’s part, questions remain whether these initiatives will translate to meaningful policy and if they will promote or hinder a coherent Indo-Pacific strategy.
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Chinese investment through the BRI is just part of the story, because if managed correctly, it is the first mover that unlocks greater investment from other powers and corporations, and leads to growth that ultimately helps countries pay their debts.
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Written by Jeffrey Wilson
There is nothing to fear in terms of RCEP becoming a vehicle for Chinese economic dominance of the Indo-Pacific. In fact, we should be more worried about the strategic implications of a RCEP failure than its success.
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Written by Man Mohini Kaul
While India’s Act East Policy may sometimes appear to fall short in the implementation of specific projects, there is a resurgence marked by the convergence of strategic and security interests and a mutual desire for greater economic engagement.
Written by Nick Bisley
Whether others follow the example Australia has set, placing the military at the heart of regional policy, will be key to determining Asia’s emerging strategic landscape. Thus far even Japan, which has much greater clashes of interests with China, has not gone as far as Canberra.
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Written by Rohan Mukherjee
ASEAN can then continue to hold together and take a middle path, offering security cooperation to the Quad, economic cooperation to China, and institutionalised opportunities for diplomacy all around. The Quad for its part can continue growing its footprint without maintaining the pretence of ASEAN centrality and the need to convince smaller regional states to irrationally become the tip of the spear aimed at China.
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Written by Ong Kian Ming
ASEAN must also be willing to push the envelope when it comes to economic diplomacy in a manner that would strengthen the unity of the grouping and safeguard the interests of its members.
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Written by Chirayu Thakkar
Even though there would remain a considerable gap between the EU’s policy commitment to the Indo-Pacific and actual maritime efforts, India should appreciate and build upon the moral strength that the policy brings to multilateral efforts.
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Written by William Choong
While there have been negotiations for a formal Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, ASEAN has found no solution to Chinese assertiveness. This is where the four Quad navies can bring power and presence to bear.
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Written by Tridivesh Singh Maini
The US and its allies need to provide an alternative economic narrative as merely criticising Beijing is not enough. Thus far the Biden administration has made the right noises by calling for a collaborative approach on economic issues. Nevertheless, it needs to strike a careful balance and can not ignore domestic political pressures.
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Written by Velina Tchakarova
Whereas China approaches its affairs with India as asymmetric and non-zero-sum, India sees itself involved in a zero-sum interaction between two equally powerful countries in South Asia. India’s perception of China is that Beijing is taking the central position in its direct neighbourhood and increasingly in the IOR, while China perceives New Delhi as a major geopolitical factor with considerable naval capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
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With Happymon Jacob
When one looks at Sino-EU relations from New Delhi, it seems that the EU is not so critical of Chinese policy. The EU wants to do business with China and Brussels is not very keen to push back on Beijing's aggressive behaviour or criticise its conduct toward smaller countries in the Indo-Pacific. The CAI, which replaces 16 existing economic agreements with Beijing with a single major agreement is perhaps indicative of this.
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