What's in an Indo-Pacific Concept? Shared Visions and Varied Approaches

What's in an Indo-Pacific Concept?Shared Visions and Varied Approaches Alison Szalwinski (bio) Beginning in the late 2000s, the United States, as well as two of its allies in Asia—Japan and Australia—began to articulate variations of the geopolitical concept of the "Indo-Pacific." The idea of linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans into a broader geographic region was not entirely new, but the accompanying strategic overlay, which was introduced as part of the "free and open Indo-Pacific" concept, imbued the idea with new and significant implications for how these three countries would approach foreign policy, economic coordination, and military posture in the region and within their broader national strategies. As each of these three democracies elected new leaders over the next two decades, subsequent administrations across political parties generally reaffirmed and built on the idea of the "Indo-Pacific," refining their visions for a free, open, prosperous, and secure two-ocean region in contrast with China's increasingly assertive behavior. By 2022, many countries in the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere—including France, Indonesia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom—had announced their own version of an Indo-Pacific vision, concept, or strategy, as had both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union. At present, the United States, South Korea, and France have all published official policy documents identifying an Indo-Pacific Strategy. Japan refers to its "free and open Indo-Pacific" vision or plan, while Indonesia has an Indo-Pacific concept. Perhaps most surprisingly, Australia lacks any dedicated government document or policy speech outlining an Indo-Pacific vision, instead electing to articulate its approach within its broader national security, foreign policy, and defense strategy papers. The United Kingdom similarly has outlined its thinking on an Indo-Pacific tilt within defense policy documents, while the Pacific Island countries and territories eschew "Indo-Pacific" as a defining construct but identify as a "Blue Pacific Continent" and have clarified regional security interests and priorities in the Boe Declaration on Regional Security. [End Page 96] While these roundtable essays do not attempt to detail all of the Indo-Pacific concepts that have been developed by individual countries (India, Germany, and Canada also have their own versions, for example), the visions articulated across each of these nations share some similarities: each of these countries is a democracy that has expressed increasing levels of concern about the shifting balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region and the ramifications of U.S.-China competition. The texts of the Indo-Pacific concepts developed by these countries also share some elements and phrases in common, even among states with very different national interests, histories, and priorities. For instance, the terms "free," "open," "cooperation," "connectivity," "prosperity," "inclusive," "rule of law" or "international law," and "secure/security" appear as core principles in almost all of them. "Peace," "freedom of navigation," "climate change," "human rights," and "resilience" are also frequent touchpoints, although less universal. Finally, along with these guiding principles, the essays highlight three areas of strategic convergence among these countries: (1) a designation of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Island region as key areas of engagement, (2) an emphasis on the importance of maritime security and cooperation, and (3) a reliance on multilateral coordination to address shared interests. First, in their Indo-Pacific concepts, each of the countries agrees that Southeast Asia (and members of ASEAN, in particular) are key to the success of a broader Indo-Pacific concept. Deeper relations among ASEAN members are seen as essential, both against the backdrop of China's growing influence and in recognition of the contributions that ASEAN can make to the region as the nexus of economic activity. As Natalie Sambhi notes, Indonesia itself favors the idea that ASEAN holds a place at the center of the Indo-Pacific region, shaping its guiding principles and norms. In addition, almost all the countries' Indo-Pacific concepts point to the growing importance of the Pacific Island region to the connectivity and economic development of the Indo-Pacific. Junya Nishino's essay states that "among the Pacific Islands, Japan is supporting infrastructure projects and an undersea telecommunications cable project (with Australia and the United States...

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