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.
- Despite initial hopes, the atmospherics of the recent APEC meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping have left some with little optimism for the future.
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Australia resulted in a successful public reception and the conclusion of a new India-Australia framework for security cooperation.
- Elsewhere, Rory Medcalf argues that the G20 summit and speeches by the leaders of the region's most consequential states marks Australia's coming-of-age as a 'core Indo-Pacific power.'
- On the sidelines of the G20, the US, Australia and Japan have agreed to deepen cooperation on maritime security and commitment to the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes.
- Greg Sheridan has argued that US President Barack Obama deliberately sought to politically damage Prime Minister Tony Abbott through his remarks on climate change.
- The influential US House Armed Services Committee has selected its newest chairman, Republican Representative Mac Thornberry. The move follows the overwhelming Republican victory at the 2014 midterm election earlier this month.
- A meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Bejing resulted in an announcement that the two countries will strengthen their military cooperation in the Asia Pacific.
- North Korea has threatened to conduct more nuclear weapons tests in response to a recent UN resolution that recommends its leaders face prosecution for crimes against humanity.
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.