Middle-Power Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Era

Abstract

In an Indo-Pacific era characterized by a strategic clash between the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy and the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, middle-power cooperation needs to be re-conceptualized. Traditional ASEAN-centered processes and institutions may be strengthened if not replaced by a new type of middle-power cooperation involving ＂external countries＂ to ASEAN such as Japan, Australia, India, and South Korea.