Indo-Pacific
Geography, Concept, and Strategic Framework
The term "Indo-Pacific" reflects a geographic and strategic conception of the maritime space connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean as a single integrated region. It has progressively replaced "Asia-Pacific" in the strategic vocabulary of India, the US, Japan, and Australia since the late 2000s.
- Geographically, the Indo-Pacific stretches from the east coast of Africa to the western shores of the Americas — encompassing the Indian Ocean, Andaman Sea, Malacca Strait, South China Sea, and the western Pacific.
- The Malacca Strait (between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra) is the critical chokepoint linking the Indian Ocean to the Pacific; approximately 80-90% of China's energy imports transit this strait, making it China's strategic vulnerability (the "Malacca Dilemma").
- India's Indo-Pacific vision: "SAGAR" (Security And Growth for All in the Region), articulated in 2015; emphasises rules-based order, freedom of navigation, and inclusive development.
- The US released its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, identifying the region as the most consequential for 21st-century geopolitics, with China described as "the most serious long-term challenge."
- Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) concept: first articulated by PM Shinzo Abe in 2016 at TICAD VI; three pillars — (1) promotion of rule of law and freedom of navigation, (2) economic prosperity, (3) commitment to peace and stability.
- ASEAN centrality: India, the US, Japan, and Australia all formally recognise "ASEAN centrality" in the Indo-Pacific architecture — i.e., ASEAN as the institutional fulcrum for regional multilateralism, not supplanted by the Quad.
● Tracked since May 26, 2026 · last seen July 03, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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