This workshop showed that the idea of the Indo-Pacific is not a monolith: far from that. Not only can we find Indo-Pacific strategies find different depending on their perspectives (e.g. military, cultural, economic), but their intensity varies a lot from one country to the other, partly according to the China variable.
Professor Christophe Jaffrelot, Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology, and Director of the Indo-Pacific Research Group
01 November 2022
Global Institutes host inaugural workshop launching the Indo-Pacific research group
The inaugural Indo-Pacific Research Group workshop addressed opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific in the context of China’s rise and a changing regional order.
The closed roundtable discussion welcomed delegates and officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Cabinet Office, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Australian High Commission to the UK and the European Union (EU) Delegation to the UK.
The workshop brought together scholars from within King’s College London, public officials and government representatives within and beyond the UK to address various security, economic and political issues within the Indo-Pacific region.
This event highlighted the core mission of Indo-Pacific Research Group that will drive its future events. To bridge the gap between academia and policymaking, and to discuss prospective partnerships between government and academia. To create impact on strategy and foreign policy challenges faced by the UK and like-minded partners interested with the region.
During the workshop, delegates and scholars discussed contemporary issues in the Indo-Pacific region ranging from the EU’s perspectives of and interests in the region, India’s maritime strategy, cyber-power diplomacy and strategy, and the role of Africa, the role of Australia, UK and the US, as well as Chinese perspectives of the region.
The Indo-Pacific Research Group comprises of researchers at various stages of their career. Members present at the workshop were Professor Christophe Jaffrelot (King’s India Institute), Cristina De Esperanza (Department of Political Economy), Mauro Bonavita (King’s India Institute), Tobias Scholz (King’s India Institute), Linganaden Murday (African Leadership Centre), Dr Zeno Leoni (Defence Studies), Anna Tan (Lau China Institute), Dr Nicola Leveringhaus (Department of War Studies) and Professor Alessio Patalano (Department of War Studies).
Other members of the group also include Dr Walter Ladwig III (Department of War Studies), Professor Astrid Nordin (Lau China Institute) and Professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo (Department of European & International Studies).
The event marked the official launch of the research group and paves the way to produce more policy-relevant research on the Indo-Pacific, through increasing dialogue and collaboration between government and academia, for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The event took place on 1 November 2022.