The emergence of the ‘Indo-Pacific’ region as a focus of analytical and policymaking attention illustrates the socially constructed nature of regional identities, and the differing purposes to which such visions might be put. For policymakers in Australia and Japan, the Indo-Pacific idea potentially offers a way of engaging with India, maintaining an American presence in the region, and generally responding to the ‘rise of China’. This examines how the Indo-Pacific initiative came about and assesses its implications for the major powers of the region.

Mark Beeson is Professor of International Politics at the University of Western Australia. Before rejoining UWA at the beginning of 2015, he taught at Murdoch, Griffith, and Queensland universities in Australia, and the Universities of York and Birmingham in the UK. His work is centered on the politics, economics and security of the broadly conceived Asia-Pacific region. He is the author of more than 200 journal articles and book chapters, co-editor of Contemporary Politics, and the founding editor of Critical Studies of the Asia Pacific (Palgrave). Recent books include and edited volumes include China’s Regional Relations: Evolving Foreign Policy Dynamics (Lynne Rienner, 2014); Regionalism & Globalization in East Asia: Politics, Security & Economic Development (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014); Rivalry and Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific: The Dynamics of a Region in Transition, Volume 1 and 2 (World Scientific, 2019); Rethinking Global Governance ( Palgrave Macmillan, 2019); Environmental Populism: The Politics of Survival in the Anthropocene (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).