How to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific

Inside the international effort to advance a rules-based order in the region.

By WP BrandStudio

The state of the Indo-Pacific

Over the past decade or so, the Indo-Pacific has emerged as a focal point in global economics, diplomacy and security. Many experts believe the region, with its huge population and fast-rising prosperity, holds the key to humanity’s future.

That future promises to be a bright one—as long as the Indo-Pacific remains free and open to all.

More people live in the countries surrounding the Indian and Pacific Oceans than anywhere else on Earth. The region, which stretches from the Pacific coast of the Americas to East Africa, is home to the world’s three biggest economies—the United States, China and Japan—and more than half of the global population. Nearly 50 percent of the world’s merchandise trade passes through the area, by some estimates.

Yet the Indo-Pacific is also grappling with complicated challenges, such as piracy, terrorism, natural disasters, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and attempts to change the geopolitical status quo.

Given the Indo-Pacific’s vast potential and pressing challenges, all countries have an interest in allaying threats and committing to peace and stability.

“The Indo-Pacific is home to many dynamic economies. In addition, the region hosts most of the world’s nuclear powers, as well as five U.S. treaty allies,” says Dr. Zack Cooper, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington focused on Asian security issues. “For all these reasons, America’s future is deeply connected to the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.”

The fundamentals of FOIP

In 2016, Japan presented a vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. FOIP, as the idea came to be called, describes an equitable rules-based order in which every country adheres to principles that are essential for peace and prosperity in the region—such as free and fair economic relations, freedom of navigation and the rule of law. It was against this backdrop that Shinzo Abe, the prime minister at the time, stated in a speech in Nairobi, Kenya, that “Japan bears the responsibility of fostering the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and of Asia and Africa into a place that values freedom, the rule of law and the market economy, free from force or coercion, and making it prosperous.”

The reason Japan is so emphatic about a free and open Indo-Pacific is because this has been the norm for most of the postwar period. Japan has benefited greatly from free trade and open sea lanes, argues Dr. Sheila Smith*, senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“Neither Japan nor the U.S. nor our partners in the region would want to go back to [an era of] carving up the world into regions where one power dominates, and we compete for influence. These basic norms, such as relying on the rule of law, provide predictability for the international system,” she says. “What you see with the free and open Indo-Pacific concept is Japan reminding the region of this normative underpinning of our current system, and pointing out that it is not just for Japan’s interests, but for the interest of all of us. This is particularly true for the countries of the Indo-Pacific region. We all depend on these norms for our prosperity and security.”

Another key aspect of FOIP, argues Dr. Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute, is that it enables countries in the region to be free from a polarized worldview. “Washington’s role is critical to the region, but Tokyo often has deeper insight into regional dynamics,” Dr. Cooper says. “Japanese leadership has shown that FOIP isn’t about maintaining a U.S. unipolar order, but rather about bolstering a regional order rooted in broadly shared interests and values.”

America’s engagement in the region

On January 28, one week after taking office, the new U.S. president held telephone talks with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan—the American president’s first outreach to a leader in Asia. The two leaders discussed the importance of strengthening the U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific region and affirmed that they would work side-by-side to address regional challenges and to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Many experts believe that the robustness of the Japan-U.S. partnership and the geopolitical implications of the change of leadership in Washington depend to a large extent on how the new administration adopts and responds to the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“I think the new U.S. administration is fully on board,” says Dr. Smith. “And have embraced Japan’s lead. They understand that there is a broader consensus, including not just Japan but also Australia, India and the ASEAN nations, that this is the right way to approach regionalism in the era that we’re in…. I am very heartened to see this framing of a free and open Indo-Pacific, because I think that is a way in which the United States can work most effectively with its partners in the region.”

For his part, Dr. Cooper has no doubt about the U.S. government’s commitment to the ideas behind the free and open Indo-Pacific concept: “The key is to recognize that we share values that cross multiple domains, from security to economics to technology to governance.”

Prospects and challenges ahead

To further these interests, Japan, together with the United States and other partners, has undertaken a range of initiatives to sustain freedom and openness in the Indo-Pacific. These efforts include promoting policies on maritime order; sharing insights on maritime law with the international community; and strengthening maritime security and safety by providing countries in need, such as Southeast Asian coastal states, with equipment and human-resources development assistance for maritime law enforcement.

Improving connectivity over the Indo-Pacific region is another key aspect of Japan’s vision, including assistance in developing the East-West and Southern Economic Corridors in Southeast Asia and leadership on the “G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment,” endorsed at the G20 Osaka Summit in 2019. Japan has also been taking the lead in the rule-making needed to establish a free and fair economic order, with agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP), Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, Japan-US Trade Agreement and Japan-US Digital Trade Agreement.

Some have unfairly criticized this vision, arguing it’s designed to exclude or contain certain countries. In reality, however, everyone can join as long as they share the fundamental principles behind the approach, including the rule of law. FOIP, as its name indicates, is about openness and inclusion. Indeed, the initiative has enabled Japan to cooperate not only with the United States but also with a wide range of other countries that share a similar vision for the region.

“What helps regional states is having a secure and prosperous region to grow, without having to worry about conflict or coercion,” maintains Dr. Cooper. “A regional order based in rules is much more advantageous for developing countries than an order based in power and spheres of influence. Our job is to ensure that we protect these rules, and the interests of all Indo-Pacific countries, even as regional dynamics are changing. This is a tall task, but one that should be attainable with sustained focus and effort.”

This concept of FOIP is described by Dr. Smith as “a flexible kind of network approach to regionalism that I think could be very constructive.” There are certainly issues to manage. “I think one of the challenges is going to be to avoid rigidity in how we think of our agenda,” she said. “In other words, we must be flexible and avoid the perception that this is an effort to encircle or contain China.”

Dr. Smith believes regional leaders can address these concerns through cooperative engagement. “One of the America’s greatest strengths is not just our military power but also our diplomatic and economic engagement with our allies and partners,” she says. “We have the irreplaceable strategic asset of having built strong networks of partnership and must continue to work with our friends across the region.”

As history shows, Japan and the United States are natural allies, acting for the same purpose. With a common vision that is increasingly shared by other countries in the region and beyond, they are prepared to address both present and future challenges facing the Indo-Pacific.

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