Indo-Pacific

ASEAN’s recent initiatives towards the Indo-Pacific help cement its centrality further while maintaining the grouping’s autonomy.

European countries have upped their engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, in the pursuit of their geo-strategic and economic interests.

Canada and the Republic of Korea’s Indo-Pacific strategies signal a major transformation in their respective foreign policy outlook.

The Biden administration has further reinforced and strengthened US strategic priorities towards the Indo-Pacific, a decade after the ‘Pivot to Asia’ by the Obama administration.

India can carve a niche as a capacity-builder in helping the southern Pacific countries meet developmental goals and tackle climate change.

Eastwards Ho? India’s Relations with the Indo-Pacific edited by E. Sridharan comprising 15 essays by renowned experts on Asian geopolitics, seeks to place India on the strategic map of the evolving Indo-Pacific region as an economic and geopolitical power. At the outset, the editor provides a succinct overview of economic integration in Asia, particularly of China with its neighbours reflected in a massive increase in bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs).

The Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) Initiative aims to enhance regional maritime security via technology and training support.

Beijing’s pushback against the Washington-backed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is likely to result in an intense regional geo-economic competition.

The new Labor Party government in Australia is likely to show continuity on AUKUS and Quad initiatives in the Indo-Pacific, while policy approaches on Pacific Islands and China, as also on climate change, may get a re-look.

Japan is likely to play a decisive role in positioning Northeast India as a powerhouse through improved connectivity, opening up trade corridors and driving better economic integration.