INDO-PACIFIC FRAMEWORK REMAINS SALIENT FOR OTHER STATES
For other states in the region, the Indo-Pacific continues to serve as an accurate spatial rendition of the threats they face.
China’s increasing economic, military and diplomatic influence has made the Indian and Pacific oceans increasingly interconnected for Beijing’s interests.
This is exemplified by its “two-ocean strategy”, linked to the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to secure sea lanes across these oceans to protect energy imports and economic growth.
For states such as India, Japan and Australia, this growing Chinese footprint makes the Indo-Pacific a single strategic space.
Even for states in Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, interests in the Indian and Pacific oceans are merging. They would seek to respond to the security challenges posed by great power competition across these two oceans.
For Indonesia, the security of its western approaches has become a strategic concern, largely due to perceptions of China’s expanding “grey-zone” activities around the Natuna Islands.
The Indo-Pacific architecture initially championed by the first Trump administration has narrowed to the Western Pacific, reflecting the domestic and foreign policy imperatives of Trump 2.0.
However, the utility of the Indo-Pacific will remain for states in the region due to the increasing convergence of security threats across the two oceans, posed by China’s growing presence and the resultant great power competition.
Dr Sinderpal Singh is Assistant Director and Coordinator of the South Asia Programme and Regional Security Architecture Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.