China Challenges and the Indo-Pacfic: Changing Regional Perspectives

The Collaborative Research Project: 'China Challenges and the Indo-Pacific: The Prospects for a "Free and Open International Order (FOIO)"' with support by The Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies and the Japan Association of Global Governance (JAGG) is proud to present our next collaborative event in Tokyo. This event will feature Professor Rory Medcalf of the National Security College, Australian National University and Professor Jagannath Panda of the Institute for Security & Development Policy and University of Warsaw who will each speak about "China Challenges and the Indo-Pacific: Changing Regional Perspectives". We will also be joined by H.E. Mr. Reiichiro Takahashi, the former Ambassador of Japan to Australia who will act as event moderator.

China’s rise under President Xi Jinping has eroded American supremacy, placing enormous stress on the existing rule-based international order. As competition for hegemony and leadership in global governance intensifies, numerous initiatives are gradually shaping the future of the international system. Japan and other Indo-Pacific states have enacted strong countermeasures to uphold the international rule of law and respond to authoritarian challenges. Japan’s vision for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)’ and a ‘Free and Open International Order (FOIO)’ exemplifies its resourceful response in addressing its concerns in a turbulent world.

Amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, this symposium―the second in the series―analyses changing regional perspectives in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Along with the war in Ukraine and the renewed Middle Eastern crisis, the post-Covid-19 period has witnessed an increasingly fluid international environment in which emerging players from the Global South have acted with a greater autonomy. The advent of such players in the global arena, however, has made it challenging for the Indo-Pacific Quad members to generate a coalition of like-minded states to counter and mitigate Beijing’s hegemonic attempts. The arrival of Trump 2.0 seems to make this task even more difficult.

Delineated by unstable polarisation, current global settings pose both challenges and opportunities to advance Indo-Pacific strategies. What are the perspectives of Indo-Pacific states such as Australia and India? What strategic issues are at stake and what kind of regional and global prospects should we foresee? Where can the Quad members find trusted and resilient partners? With China’s hegemonic ambition continuing unabated, is there a prescription for addressing a growingly uncertain world? This symposium will explore these and other pressing issues.

YCAPS is glad to partner with JAGG and the Collaborative Research Project: 'China Challenges and the Indo-Pacific: The Prospects for a "Free and Open International Order (FOIO)"' to deliver this opportunity.

*The seminar will be conducted in English, and pre-registration is required to participate.

Please use this link to RSVP for in-person attendance

*Registration is mandatory

Schedule :

15:00 Opening remarks by Professor Kei Hakata

15:05 Keynote speech by Professor Jagannath Panda (*35 minutes)

15:40 Keynote speech by Professor Rory Medcalf (*35 minutes)

16:15 Pause (*10 minutes)

16:25 Question & Answer session, moderated by H.E. Mr Ambassador (former) Reiichiro Takahashi (*20 minutes for the speakers and 25 minutes for questions from the floor)

17:00 End of the programme

Date: Friday, September 12, 2025

Time: 15:00 - 17:00

Language: English

Venue: Seikei University Building 6, 3rd Floor Room 301

3 Chome-3-1 Kichijoji Kitamachi, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8633

Please note: This venue is located inside the Seikei University Building 6, 3rd floor. The closest station is Kichijoji Station.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SvbGBgbA5AQvmXvy5

Speakers:

Professor Rory Medcalf AM has been Head of the National Security College (NSC) at the Australian National University since 2015. His professional background involves three decades of experience across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, academia and journalism, including as founding Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute from 2007 to 2015. In government, Professor Medcalf worked as a senior strategic analyst with the then Office of National Assessments (now the Office of National Intelligence), Canberra’s peak intelligence analysis agency. He was also an Australian diplomat, with wide experience including tours in India and Japan. For Professor Medcalf's full bio please see here.

Professor Jagannath Panda is a leading expert on Indo-Pacific affairs, with a focus on China-India, Japan-India and Korea-India Relations. He is the Series Editor for Routledge Studies on Think Asia. Dr. Panda is the Director for Europe-Asia for YCAPS, and will aim to bridge the research and academic gap between the mainstream European and Asian strategic communities to discuss and talk about Asia-Pacific Security. He is the author of the book India-China Relations (Routledge: 2017) and China’s Path to Power (Pentagon Press: 2010). Dr. Panda’s recent work includes Quad Plus and Indo-Pacific (Routledge: 2021); Scaling India-Japan Cooperation in Indo-Pacific and Beyond 2025 (KW Publishing Ltd. 2019), and The Korean Peninsula and Indo-Pacific Power Politics: Status Security at Stake (Routledge, 2020).

Cost: Free of charge

Moderators: H.E. Mr Ambassador (former) Reiichiro Takahashi

Format: This event will be off-the-record. Questions are encouraged.

Registration: Required via this link

Co-Sponsors: Japan Association of Global Governance (JAGG) , Yokosuka Council on Asia Pacific Studies (YCAPS)