＜Reporting＞ "China Challenges and the Indo-Pacific": Prominent Experts Gathered at Seikei

Can we uphold a "free and open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" in an era of strategic uncertainty? What are the responses to the security and many other challenges posed by China? What will be the future of the international order? These were topics discussed at an international symposium held at Seikei University, located in Western Tokyo, on Thursday, November 28. The symposium, astutely and timely titled "China Challenges and the Indo-Pacific: Crucial Issues in an Uncertain Era," featured prominent experts from home and abroad and attracted numerous enthusiastic participants.

The event was an outcome of the ongoing research project "China challenges and the Indo-Pacific: The prospects for a 'free and open international order (FOIO)'" and was supported by the Japan Association of Global Governance as well as the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS). Focusing on the China challenges and countering Indo-Pacific strategies, the symposium delved into wide-ranging security and foreign policy issues and explored them from multifaceted perspectives.

After a welcome remark by Kei Hakata (Professor, Seikei University) as the host, the keynote speeches were masterfully delivered by Brendon J. Cannon (Associate Professor, Khalifa University) and Ash Rossiter (Lead Researcher/Associate Professor, Rabdan Academy). At the subsequent special panel on Japan's security, Kyoko Hatakeyama (Professor, University of Niigata Prefecture), Ippeita Nishida (Senior Fellow, Sasakawa Peace Foundation), and Satoshi Yamamoto (Researcher/Major JASDF, Center for Air and Space Power Strategic Studies, JASDF Command and Staff College) made outstanding presentations to expound cutting-edge research findings.

Coming from a variety of nations and backgrounds, the symposium participants listened attentively to the panel presentations and engaged in a lively question-and-answer session. As one participant rightly questioned, the symposium further drove the debate on the FOIO/FOIP nexus and conundrum. It also provided critical insights in navigating the strategic complexities brought by the unprecedented China challenges.

The three-year (AY 2024-2026) project, entitled "China challenges and the Indo-Pacific: The prospects for a 'free and open international order (FOIO)'," is financially supported by the Collaborative Research Project Grant from the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies(CAPS), Seikei University, and is being conducted in collaboration with the Center for Global Security (GS) of the National Defense Academy of Japan. Fourteen leading scholars from Japan are actively engaged in joint research activities to deliver this project.