To what extent can the US compete with China if it does not offer more economic opportunities to Indo-Pacific countries, especially due to mounting doubts about its reliability as a security guarantor in the region?
We invite several experts to assess this state of affairs.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy
With the Taiwan Strait as a potential military flashpoint in the Indo-Pacific, embedding Taiwan in regional cooperation frameworks will support the efforts of like-minded democracies to deter Beijing’s destabilising actions which are affecting the entire region.
Read More9DASHLINE invited a select group of experts to assess how the Kishida administration’s policies on domestic, international, economic, and security issues will differ from the Abe administration.
Read MoreWritten 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 Catherine Craven
For Britain, maintaining control over Indian Ocean Territory remains fundamental to its foreign, trade and migration policy interests — but also to its allies.
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.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten by Jacob Stokes
Biden’s prioritisation of allies and close partners could leave the rest of the region’s states unsure about their role and those of the region’s legacy multilateral institutions, such as ASEAN and the East Asia Summit.
Read MoreWritten by Susannah Patton
The President’s positive statement at least opens the door for US allies and partners to put forward their views on US regional economic engagement. The United States’ offer to host APEC in 2023 should give high-level impetus for the development of this economic framework.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten by Velina Tchakarova
India’s geopolitical choices are either joining the US-led bloc of predominantly Anglosphere allies and close partners such as Japan and Australia against China, or, once again, building partnerships of non-aligned middle powers that can navigate through the complex relationship between Washington and Beijing without taking sides.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten by Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp
As a middle power, Japan has the potential to enhance its role. In maintaining its partnerships with the United States and in balancing its deep economic ties with China it can lay the course and mediate in policies that concern itself, the United States and others in Southeast Asia.
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