What’s the difference between Indo Pacific and Asia-Pacific? Regional control for the US or China

The ongoing debate over how the region should style itself has come into sharp focus as Asean adopted the US-style “Indo Pacific” at its summit

Beijing and Washington’s quests for a foothold in the region came to the fore at a round table in Kuala Lumpur

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A US flag flutters in front of a portrait of the late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong during a visit by US President Donald Trump to Beijing, China, in 2017. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:21pm, 24 Jun 2019Updated: 12:47pm, 25 Jun 2019

Indo Pacific? Asia-Pacific? Asean Indo Pacific?

The ongoing debate on diplomatic nomenclature was in sharp focus on Monday as leading geopolitical researchers waded into the debate on how the region should style itself.

The topic has been hotly discussed amid America’s push to call it the “Indo Pacific” – a move some have said is a means to entrench the so-called quadrilateral security dialogue consisting of the United States, Japan, Australia and India to counter China’s rise.

The four democracies have not formally convened as a group for a decade, and the bloc is viewed by Beijing with a degree of suspicion, due to perceptions that it is a check on China’s increasing influence in the region.

Last weekend, at the 34th Asean summit, the association finally weighed in on its vision for the region by releasing a document on the Asean outlook for the Indo Pacific, led by Indonesia and aimed at “enhancing Asean’s community building process”.

The document’s use of the term “Indo Pacific” rather than “Asia-Pacific” was highlighted at the 33rd Asia-Pacific round table in Kuala Lumpur. The three-day event, which kicked off on Monday, is organised by Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies.

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