Angelo M'BA — 9DASHLINE

‘Free’ from What? China and Ten Years of Free and Open Indo-Pacific

Written by Angelo M'BA

In the future, even less confrontational and security-focused iterations of FOIP are likely to face Beijing’s opposition because their premise of involving external actors — to balance China’s dominance — clashes with Beijing’s own objectives, regardless of content.

Faultlines9DLAugust 24, 2026‘Free’ from What? China and Ten Years of Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Angelo M'BA, 9DASHLINE, Indo-Pacific, FOIP, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Japan, China, Philippines, South China Sea, ASEAN, Takaichi, Munich Security Conference, Xi Jinping, Asia-Pacific

In Brief with Angelo M’BA and Samuel Parmer

As 9DASHLINE continues to expand its coverage across the Indo-Pacific, our editorial team recently welcomed two Associate Editors — Angelo M’BA and Samuel Parmer.

Our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Yatana Yamahata, recently sat down with them to discuss their interests, the key trends shaping the Indo-Pacific, and where they think its coverage should be heading.

News9DLAugust 7, 2026In Brief with Angelo M’BA and Samuel Parmer, 9DASHLINE, Indo-Pacific, Samuel Parmer, Angelo M'BA, Yatana Yamahata, China, Japan, ASEAN, Vietnam, Philippines, World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, WAICO, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

The European Union needs a more pragmatic foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Angelo M’BA

Perhaps counter-intuitively, only an approach less concerned with morals and more with pragmatic engagement can pave the way for the EU to spread its values in the Indo-Pacific.