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Chapter 4
Analysis and Recommendations

Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific an attempt to challenge supposed

Chinese aggressive designs in the
The Trump administration interacted region and to find avenues to limit

with the region in a focused manner. Beijing’s disruptive role in the region.

There was a change in terminology by This was witnessed in Asia-Pacific
which the region is referred to. Instead Economic Cooperation (APEC) speech
of being called as ‘Asia-Pacific’, the in November 2017, where President
Implications to ASEAN
region was consistently referred to as Trump spoke of a vision for a ‘free and
40
the Indo-Pacific. That change is now open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP). This built on
38
embedded in US policy circles. Using Shinzo Abe’s identical FOIP formulation,
the Indian and Pacific Oceans – the with the ‘free and open’ being a reference

Indo-Pacific – as geographic anchors to the need to counter China’s attempts

signals a growing role for India and to gain strategic control over areas such
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a more maritime approach. There is as the South China Sea. 41
Evolving Geo-Strategic Matrix in South China Sea:

32

Source: www.tass.com

38 Heiduk, F. and Wacker, G. (2020), From Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific: Significance, Implementation and
Challenges, SWP Research Paper 2020/RP 09, Berlin: German Institute for International and Security
Affairs,https://www.swp-berlin.org/10.18449/2020RP09/#hd-24373e581
39 The Economic Times (2018), ‘‘Indo-Pacific’ Over ‘Asia-Pacific’ Reflect India’s Rise: US Official’, 11 June 2018.
40 Trump, D. J. (2017), ‘Remarks by President Trump at APEC CEO Summit, Da Nang, Vietnam’, speech
delivered at the APEC CEO Summit, 10 November 2017, https://asean.usmission.gov/remarks-president-
trump-apec-ceosummit-da-nang-vietnam.
41 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (2017), ‘Chapter One: International Situation and Japan’s Diplomacy
2016’, in Diplomatic Bluebook 2017