Postgraduate student at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Historian Alfred Thayer Mahan once stated that “Whoever controls the Indian Ocean dominates Asia”. As if following Mahan’s dictum to the letter, the two emerging powers — China and India — have sought to increase their spheres of influence by acquiring strategic facilities and locations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Indo-Pacific region is a relatively new term generally used to describe countries and geographical features located along the rim of the Indian Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean. In a way, the “Indo-Pacific” encompasses the majority of maritime Asia — including Indonesia, India, China, Japan and Australia.
What are the potential implications of this Indo-Pacific race and where is Indonesia in all of it?
Guided by its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China h...
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