The Indo-Pacific is a strategic system encompassing the Indian and Pacific oceans, reflecting the expanding interests and reach of China and India as well as the enduring role of the US. The Lowy Institute's International Security program presents a weekly selection of links illuminating the changing security picture in this increasingly connected super-region.
- The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea has been signed at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao, China. Signatories include Japan, China, the US, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia.
- China may be working on establishing its own hydrophone system to bolster its anti-submarine capabilities, a long-standing weakness of the PLA Navy.
- The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments' Iskander Rehman interviewed on Indo-Pacific geopolitics for European Geostrategy.
- Joseph Nye and Kevin Rudd give their recommendations on how to navigate the East China Sea dispute in this Washington Post op-ed.
- On Saturday, the Shanghai Maritime Court ordered the seizure of a Japanese cargo vessel over the outstanding pre-war debts of its parent company.
- Do words matter? Brookings Senior Fellow Kenneth Lieberthal thinks so with regards to the US ‘pivot’ to the Indo-Pacific.
- Obama in Asia: Brookings has a roundup of their analyses here. Scott A Snyder at CFR argues that the success of the trip hinges on President Obama's ability to build a network of alliances. CSIS has released its own analysis detailing what the President needs to accomplish on each leg of the trip. And Japan-news.com has released a handy guide to Obama's travel itinerary.
The Lowy Institute International Security Program's work on Indo-Pacific security is supported by two grants from the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation.