In Forum: Donald Trump re-elected, the Indo-Pacific reacts

In this In Forum, 9DASHLINE asks several experts what to expect from the next US administration and its potential impact on the Indo-Pacific region.

Editor's Picks9DLNovember 11, 20249DASHLINE, Donald Trump re-elected, the Indo-Pacific reacts, Matthew sussex, Kei koga, Yuki Tatsumi, andrea chloe wong, Kate clayton, Kate Clayton, Australia must adapt swiftly, Reaganesque 'Peace through strength', Trump's transactional world, grand strategic bargains, US security partner, iron-clad, Russia, China, American politics, misty-eyed sentiments, America first, transactional, Shigeru Ishiba, US-Japan alliance, 2 percent of GDP, Donald Trump, Ukraine war, gaza, Trump administration, Shinzo abe, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Asian NATO, Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), cultivate a personal relationship with Trump, National Security Advisor, latticework of alliances and partnerships, bilateral negotiations, equitable alliance, tough decisions, force Japan to make tough decisions, industrial security, positive disruptor, more uncertainties for the philippines, Japan faces tough national security decisions, Manila, protectionism, Filipinos, 350, 000 Filipinos, US Department of Homeland Security, 5th largest unlawful immigrant population, immigration, household spending, South China Sea, boosting defence cooperatio, maritime aggression, AUKUS's future in doubt, AUKUS Agreement, Australia, Philippines, Japan, AUKUS Agreement is in trouble, Indo-Pacific, US-Australia relations, Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact, tariffs, Southeast Asia, diplomatic footprint in the Pacific, Pacific, climate change, Quad, middle powers, Joe Biden, US disinterest, America, India, climate change cooperation, Europe, Pacific Islands, Jake Sullivan, multilayered security framework

The EU’s Global Gateway Initiative: Infrastructure cooperation with Southeast Asia

Written by Dr Alfred Gerstl and Nick Nieschalke

The investment in the Global Gateway Initiative (GGI) indicates the EU’s stronger global focus on infrastructure and connectivity partnerships within a dedicated scheme.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific, In Focus9DLMay 6, 20249dashline, The EU’s Global Gateway Initiative: Infrastructure cooperation with Southeast Asia, Dr Alfred Gerstl, Nick Nieschalke, EU, European Union, Indo-Pacific strategy, EU Global Gateway Initiative, Global Gateway Initiative, GGI, Indo-Pacific, Africa, Global South, geostrategic challenges, geo-economic challenges, EU institutions, EU member states, China, BRI, private sector, EU funds, Europe-Asia connectivity programme, infrastructure, connectivity partnerships, Brussels, Southeast Asia, alternative models of governance, economic benefits, values-based foreign policy, rules-based order, ASEAN, US, investment, de-risking, green transition, supply chains, energy supply, environment, health, education and research, energy, digital connectivity, UN SDG, sustainability, cooperation, Bac Ai hydropower plant, Vietnam, energy imports, net zero carbon emissions, electricity, hydropower, Hanoi, Beijing, environmental damages, lighthouse project, Philippines, Copernicus, natural disasters, climate change, Manila, soft power tool, geopolitical ambitions, security actor

Pakistan’s election — a primer

Written by Dr Filippo Boni

Pakistan is scheduled to hold its twelfth general election on 8 February, amid a deteriorating security situation in parts of the country, allegations of an uneven playing field against the former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, and with China and the United States waiting to find out who will lead the next Pakistani government.

South Asia9DLFebruary 5, 20249dashline, A primer on Pakistan’s elections, Filippo Boni, Pakistan, elections, Nawaz Sharif, Hafizabad, disqualification, general election, deteriorating security situation, uneven electoral playing field, Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PTI, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, state secrets leak, imprisonment, military, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, PML-N, cricket bat logo, electoral candidates, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Peoples Party, PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, climate change, policy position, electoral campaign, media freedom, Coalition for Free Media, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, PFUJ, Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors, CPNE, Tehreek Taliban Pakistan, TTP, militant groups, Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISKP, Balochistan, separatist militant groups, bilateral crisis, Iran, missile strike, Islamabad, Iran-Pakistan, Iran-Pakistan tensions, borders, US, China, Sino-Pakistani bilateral ties, BRI, CPEC, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, socio-economic development, military leadership, Afghanistan, President Biden, Shahbaz Sharif, UNGA, US-Pakistan relations, domestic security, regional security

Increased engagement with Taiwan needs less rhetoric and more (quiet) action

Written by Dr Simona Grano

The key question remains to define and push for concrete tools and policies through which Europe can transform its growing solidarity towards Taiwan into a foundational basis of Europe’s China policy, without failing because of hindrances developing out of tight economic dependencies with China.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLDecember 20, 20239DashLine, Simona Grano, Increased engagement with Taiwan needs less rhetoric and more (quiet) action, China, Taiwan, geopolitics, geopolitical competition, US, trade, Beijing, Taiwan Strait, business, balance, democracy, Taiwan’s autonomy, universal public goods, COVID-19 pandemic, supply chains, semiconductor industry, like-minded, Russian invasion of Ukraine, human rights, Taiwan Issue, global economy, European Union, chip manufacturing industry, European Chips Act, trade agreement, China’s economic coercion, diversification, economic dependence, parliamentarian delegations, World Health Assembly (WHA), INTERPOL, ernational Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), COP28, public health, climate change, civil society, think tanks, NGOs, Taipei, Chinese trade practices, EU-China summit, de-risking

Movement on climate mobilities: developments from the Pacific Islands Forum

Written by Liam Moore

While alarmist reports of massive numbers of people potentially fleeing across borders because of climate change are incorrect and misunderstand the dynamics of migration, mobility — both within and between states — is a reality in the Pacific.

Pacific9DLNovember 29, 20239dashline, Movement on climate mobilities: Developments from the Pacific Islands Forum, Liam Moore, climate mobility, climate mobilities, Pacific Island Forum (PIF), Pacific Island Forum, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility, Falepili Union treaty, Australia, Tuvalu, Pacific, COP28, Forum Dialogue Partners, Forum Communique, Implementation Plan for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, climate change, climate disasters, human mobility, relocation migration, displacement, Declaration on the Establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility, Paris Agreement, fossil fuel, climate finance, decarbonisation, Jane McAdam, migration, Fiji, Pacific states, the Solomon Islands, cross-border mobility, asylum protections, climate refugees, migration pathways, alternative migration pathways, working visas, visa category, Chinese influence, sovereignty, state agency, Kausea Natano, Seve Paeniu, New Zealand, climate policy, US, residency, labour mobility schemes, labour mobility, bilateral agreements, Tuvalu-Australia agreement, migration agreements, security conditions, climate migrant, climate refugee, mobility options

Walking a tightrope: Balancing research security concerns with a need for China competence

Written by Dr Hannes Gohli

To make judgements on research security, but also business transactions and diplomatic relations with China, establishing a knowledge base on the country is of vital importance. Yet precisely at this critical moment, when European governments are calling for more China competence, student numbers in Sinology are declining.

Chartering a course for peace: EU-Philippines maritime security cooperation

Written by Daniela Braun, Marie Antoinette de Jesus, and Sophiya Navarro

Increasing EU-Philippine maritime security cooperation is a positive development that reflects both actors’ mutual interests and values, as well as their willingness to engage with each other and other Indo-Pacific actors.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLOctober 13, 20239dashline, Chartering a course for peace: EU-Philippines maritime security cooperation, EU, Philippines, European Union, European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Manila, Brussels, diplomatic relations, trade relations, trade exports, climate change, digital economy, connectivity, infrastructure, China, Beijing, Chinese aggression, South China Sea, Indo-Pacific, maritime disputes, Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, geopolitical significance, intensifying competition, US, Washington, Russia-Ukraine war, geopolitics, global economy, Russian oil and gas, maritime security cooperation, maritime security, EU-Philippine, Bongbong, Marcos, Jr., Rodrigo Duterte, ASEAN Coordinator for Dialogue Relations with the EU, security cooperation, EU-Philippines Joint Committee Meeting, ocean governance, maritime issues, blue economy, CRIMARIO, Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean, maritime domain awareness, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, National Coast Watch Council Center, ASEAN, Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing Platform, IORIS, Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia, ESIWA, multilateralism, rules-based order, maritime security partnership, Arbitral Ruling, 2016 arbitral ruling, US State Department, navigation freedoms, flight freedoms, EU Delegation in Manila, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, von der Leyen, defence assistance, threat assessments

Zhuozhou flooding: Systemic shifts needed to counter the sacrificing of populations

Written by Dr Julia Teebken and Jiachang Tu

The sacrificing of certain parts of a population is not limited to China and is happening across the world already, which makes addressing underlying structural issues a global concern.

Editor's Picks9DLOctober 3, 20239dashline, Zhuozhou flooding: Systemic shifts needed to counter the sacrificing of populations, JULIA TEEBKEN, Jiachang Tu, extreme weather events, China, heat, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, flooding, flood, Zhuozhou, flood retention, Hebei Party Secretary Ni Yuefeng, social media, protest, flood protection, climate adaptation, Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), National Retention Basin Master Planning (NRBMP), retention basin areas, Xiaoqinghe, 2021 floods in Henan, Henan, natural hazard event, maladaptation, second National Adaptation Strategy (NAS II), climate resilience, urban-rural, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), 1980s Water Law, Flood Management Law, provincial and municipal governments, flood risk management, hongtouwenjian, Baoding, technocratic, policy incrementalism, inequalities, climate change, land development, urban expansion, sociopolitical tensions, 1998 mega-flood, urbanisation, water flow regulation services, flood regulation services, reservoirs, dams, population density, Haihe River, Ecosystem Function Conservation Areas (EFCAS), disaster risk reduction, hukou, urban, peri-urban, and rural regions, Julia Teebken

Germany’s new China Strategy – A roadmap for climate foreign policy

Written by Belinda Schäpe

Germany’s China Strategy is a first attempt to address climate change in a key foreign policy strategy, encapsulating all related areas, and going beyond empty cooperation rhetoric.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLAugust 18, 20239dashline, Belinda Schäpe, Germany’s new China Strategy – A roadmap for climate foreign policy, Germany, China, German Strategy on China, bilateral relationship, climate change, Beijing, climate cooperation, climate engagement, strategic cooperation, accountability, green tech, multilateral finance, climate foreign policy, global responsibilities, climate targets, coal power, Xi Jinping, global coal pipelines, energy security concerns, global green transition, climate finance, Paris Agreement, Belt and Road Initiative, South-South Climate Cooperation Fund, multilateral funds, multilateral financial system, emerging debt crises, developing countries, Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, climate negotiations, G20, World Bank, IMF, foreign policy, economic agendas, Europe, green tech supply chains, (geo)political tool, Nancy Pelosi, Taiwan, human rights, de-risking, green technologies, energy supply, International Energy Agency, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, CBAM, carbon intensive products, Climate and Transformation Dialogue, industrial decarbonisation, National Security Strategy, Germany-China Memorandum of Understanding

Taiwan needs to establish its own World Bank — today

Written by Dr Oliver Scanlan

Taiwan has always sought ways to expand its geopolitical influence; expanding its ‘international space’ is a way of mitigating the risks of Chinese coercion. If establishing an SWF would serve this end, then a much larger development bank would be even more effective.

Editor's Picks9DLAugust 2, 20239DashLine, Oliver Scanlan, Taiwan needs to establish its own World Bank — today, Taiwan, Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), geopolitics, Development Finance Institution, development bank, foreign exchange reserves, “Taiwan Development Bank” (TDB), government debt, concessionary finance, loans, interest rates, investment, decarbonisation, economic leverage, International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds, Santiago Principles, Yang Chin-Long, Taiwan’s Central Bank, Germany, KfW, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, Ethical, profitable, strategic sectors, Taiwania national investment fund, green energy, startups, joint ventures, circular economy, Taiwan’s “5+2” industrial strategy, resilience, adaptation, mitigation, official development assistance (ODA), “Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement” (IPETCA), New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Indigenous Nations, World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), export-led economy, whose sovereign debt is an attractive, international credit ratings agencies, Fitch, Public Debt Act, Net International Investment Position, Philippines, debt-to-GDP ratio, Austria, Netherlands, G20, OECD, South Korea, E3G, Nick Mabey, risk, US Inflation Reduction Act, supply chain, climate change, Chinese coercion, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

In Conversation with Dr Rohan Mukherjee

9DASHLINE recently sat down with Dr Rohan Mukherjee to talk about his fascinating book Ascending Order: Rising Powers and the Politics of Status in International Institutions. Using original and robust archival evidence, the book offers the first comprehensive study of conflict and cooperation as new powers join the global arena.

In Conversation9DLJuly 26, 20239dashline, ROHAN MUKHERJEE, In Conversation with Dr Rohan Mukherjee, Ascending Order: Rising Powers and the Politics of Status in International Institutions, international order, international institutions, rising powers, India, China, Institutional Status Theory, major power, great power, status, hierarchy, diplomacy, war, conflict, Graham Allison, Britain, United States, Beijing, post-1945 US-led international order, trade, finance, human rights, development, environment, Cold War, non-state actors, hegemony, great power club, UN Security Council, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), UN General Assembly, G20, G7, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, C. Raja Mohan, Global North, Global South, Afro-Asian solidarity, Third World, multilateralism, climate change, peacekeeping, global governance, Washington System, Japan, Tokyo, Washington Conference, racism, Asian Development Bank, Korea, Russia, Tudor Onea, Confederacy, American Civil War, 1871 Treaty of Washington

In Brief with Ambika Vishwanath, co-founder of the Kubernein Initiative

9DASHLINE recently had the chance to catch up with Ambika Vishwanath, co-founder and director of the Kubernein Initiative, one of our key partner organisations. Here, we share some of the highlights from our conversation which touched on a range of issues including feminist foreign policy, India-Germany relations, and climate security.

In Brief9DLMay 29, 20239dashline, Ambika Vishwanath, Kubernein Initiative, India, feminist foreign policy, European decision-makers, decision-making, Margot Wallstrom, rights, representation, and resources, policy-making, structural and systemic change, gender inequality, women’s rights, National Action Plans, NAPs, UN Women, Peace, and Security, WPS, FFP, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Mexico, Sweden, International Women’s Development Agency, IWDA, Feminist International Assistance Policy, FIAP, Official Development Assistance, OECD, Germany, German Foreign Ministry, Mexican Foreign Service, Munich Security Conference, Kosovo, post-conflict scenario, inequality, structural changes, gender lens, foreign policy, Australia, mainstream a gender perspective, gender perspective, inclusive foreign policy, Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, CFFP, International Center for Research on Women, ICRW, International Women's Development Agency, United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP25, COP27, Zeitenwende, New Delhi, Berlin, development assistance, bilateral groupings, multilateral groupings, climate, climate change, EU, Europe, geopolitics, Russia-Ukraine war, post-war, colonialism, women, international women's day, India-Germany relations

Forging a G7-G20 nexus: Cooperation between Japan and India

Written by Dr Kei Koga and Dr Karthik Nachiappan

Rather than focusing on divergences between Japan and India or between the G7 and the G20, the areas of convergence (such as energy and food security, inflation, and climate) should be turned into functional linkages.

Power Politics9DLMay 15, 20239DashLine, Forging a G7-G20 nexus: cooperation between Japan and India, Kei Koga, Karthik Nachiappan, G7, G20, India, Japan, Japan's G7 presidency, India's G20 presidency, Tokyo, Delhi, Multilateralism, G7 summit in Hiroshima, G20 summit in Delhi, international order based on the rule of law, international order, China, Japan-India relations, Beijing, US, Cold War, East China Sea, geopolitics, territorial integrity, Ladakh, nuclear non-proliferation, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia's war, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Hiroshima, Russia’s nuclear threat, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, international financial institutions, development cooperation, maritime security, peacekeeping, protectionism, inflationary trends, Big Tech, decoupling, India Stack, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Google, Meta, Amazon, COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine war, Global South, non-aligned movement (NAM), debt relief, food security, energy security, climate change, pandemic recovery, post-pandemic recovery, climate transition, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), climate adaptation, supply chain, decarbonisation, COP27, inflation

Penny Wong: Rebuilding world orders with Australian multiculturalism

Written by Xuyang Dong

Australia is being remade into an active and helpful middle power in its region with its own agency, constructively and strategically navigating its presence in the geopolitics of growing China-US rivalry.

Pacific9DLMay 2, 20239DashLine, Penny Wong: Rebuilding world orders with Australian multiculturalism, Xuyang Dong, Penny Wong, Australia, multiculturalism, Anthony Albanese, Albanese Labor Government, Labor Party, Australian Labor Party, feminism, diversity, Malaysia, elite politics, representation, White Australia Policy, immigration, China, foreign policy, renewable energy, ‘shoe-leather' diplomacy, Southeast Asia, Pacific, First Nations, colonialism, First Nation foreign policy, British colonial history, balancing power, Liberal-National Coalition, United States, backyard, national interests, security pact, Solomon Islands, foreign aid, Beijing-Honiara security agreement, Morrison government, climate change, Blue Pacific, United Kingdom, British colonialism, Justin Mohamed, Ambassador for First Nations People, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders, Hamish Fejo, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), indigenous peoples, Hugh White, empathy, cross-cultural, new world order, globalisation, middle power, geopolitics, China-US rivalry

Climate displacement in South Asia and India’s imperative to act

Written by Bhumika Sharma

Given the lack of international consensus, a unique opportunity exists for India to address the protection gap in South Asia’s policy regime for climate migrants.

South Asia9DLApril 12, 20239DashLine, Climate displacement in South Asia and India’s imperative to act, Bhumika Sharma, South Asia, climate vulnerability, climate change, floods in Pakistan, Pakistan, displacement, World Bank, climate-sensitive policies, climate-induced migration, internal displacement, Internally Displaced Persons, cross-border population movements, migration, climate-related risks, floods, salinity ingression, Bangladesh, India, climatically displaced persons, 2012 Nansen Initiative, Switzerland, Norway, humanitarian assistance, climate mobility, climate displacement contingencies, 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1967 Protocol, IDPs, Kampala Convention, international human rights law, United Nations Human Rights Committee, Ioane Teitiota v. New Zealand, principle of non-refoulement, Kiribati, resource scarcity, economic insecurity, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Global Warming, UN IPCC, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), conflict, droughts, erratic rainfall, seasonal labour migration, income diversification, rising sea levels, cross-border transhumance arrangements, West Africa, Asian Development Bank, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Sundarbans Delta, trafficking, human trafficking, slavery, Nepal, Terai, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, seasonal migration, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu, Palk Strait, humanitarian visas, relocation, resettlement, 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act

COP27 has reopened the Pandora’s Box on ‘fairness in climate finance’

Written by Dr Dhanasree Jayaram and Megna Suresh

Pre-2020 commitments made under the Kyoto Protocol cannot be wished away. Industrialised countries must be made accountable for their obligations to reduce emissions and provide climate finance, which remain unfulfilled.

2023: The prospect of Pacific Island agency

9DASHLINE asks several experts for their assessment of the prospects for Pacific Island agency in 2023 international politics, especially beyond the 'big power influence' by the US and China that has so often been written about in 2022.

Pacific9DLJanuary 25, 20232023: The prospects of Pacific Island agency, 9DashLine, Pacific Islands, climate action, US-China competition for hegemony, Indo-Pacific security dynamics, big power influence, PRIESTLEY HABRU, heterogeneous, colonial, colonialism, great power competition, China, The Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, United Nations General Assembly, democracy, Taipei, Beijing, economic development, former Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, US President Joe Biden, US-Pacific Partnership Summit, Washington DC, Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, Australian Labor government, Australia, Pacific Island Forum (PIF), Suva, geopolitics, JOANNE WALLIS, UK, strategic competition, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, climate change, Pacific Islands Forum’s ‘Blue Pacific’ narrative, Blue Pacific, ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’ (PBP) initiative, New Zealand, Japan, MAIMA KORO, Samoa, US-Pacific Partnership Declaration, HENRIETTA MCNEILL, South Korea, European Union, Cook Islands, Niue, French territories, Micronesian states, 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent

2023: Addressing climate change

Given the poor performance of industrialised countries in delivering promised climate finance, what are the prospects for the loss and damage fund, details of which are to be negotiated at COP28 this year?