On June 22, 2022, the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) hosted Dr. Kei Hakata, Professor at Seikei University, who gave a public lecture on “The Rise of Pax Eurasia and “Indo-Pacific Plus” Strategies: an Expanded Geostrategic Vision of Japan and its Partners to Counter China.” The discussant for the event was Dr. Viktor Eszterhai, the Senior Research Fellow at IFAT.
Professor Kei focused on four themes in his presentation. First, he explained the concept of the Indo-Pacific region. Second, he introduced the various dimensions of the Indo-Pacific region. Third, he elaborated on the various great power strategies and their challenges in relation to the Indo-Pacific region. Finally, he introduced the concept of “Indo-Pacific plus.” During his presentation, Professor Kei emphasised that the Indo-Pacific region is a social construct, just like “Eurasia.” The concept of Indo-Pacific was developed to reflect the realities of this vast region. The concept is not new, it was picked up by international politics in the 2000s. It was prompted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s speech to the Indian parliament in 2007, in which he spoke of a “confluence of the two seas” and a “broader Asia” that transcends geographical boundaries. As this concept grew in popularity, some regional powers began to consider the broader maritime geography, leading to the now familiar Indo-Pacific geopolitical concept. The concept encompasses both the ideological goal of defending a rules-based international order increasingly threatened by China and the overt geopolitical ambitions of countering China’s rise. It is with this strategic goal in mind that Japan, the U.S., India, and Australia jointly formed the QUAD grouping. In his presentation, Professor Kei emphasised that China’s ambitions for Eurasia mean that Indo-Pacific cooperation alone cannot effectively counter China and that this requires a broader alliance of the entire “maritime Eurasia,” which the speaker called “Indo-Pacific plus.” “Indo-Pacific plus” is a good platform for cooperation among all the countries of maritime Eurasia, and thus also for Japan and the Visegrad Four countries.
Photos by: Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT)