Abstract

In the midst of the ongoing strategic competition between the United States and China, Japan proposed the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Initiative in 2016, believing that the Indo-Pacific should become a stage for international cooperation and collaboration rather than an arena for geopolitical confrontation and tension. ASEAN announced the AOIP in 2019, and the United States, Australia, India, and European countries made public their own Indo-Pacific concept.

Given the current situations, there is a need to rebuild strategic equilibrium and a system of international coordination and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in the future, while respecting the centrality and unity of ASEAN and promoting the materialization of inclusive AOIP cooperation projects involving more ASEAN dialogue partners.

This webinar will focus on the principles and norms, the content of cooperation, and the implementation mechanism of the Indo-Pacific Initiative and will aim to discuss a concrete path toward the materialization of AOIP cooperation.

About the Speaker

Professor Kunihiko Shinoda joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in 1988 and he was Director (APEC&FTA), Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) (2005-2008), Director, Financial Cooperation Division, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, (2008-2010), Director, Asia and Pacific Division, Trade Policy Bureau (2010-2012) and Deputy Director-General for Trade Policy, Trade Policy Bureau (2017-2019). He was engaged in negotiations on FTAs such as RCEP and economic cooperation with ASEAN, China and India in METI. He was also posted in Asian countries such as the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines (1996-1999), JODC Bangkok Office (2002-2005), JOGMEC Beijing Office (2012-2014) and Japan-China Economic Association Beijing Office (2014-2017). He has been engaged in research and education on Asian economy and Indo-Pacific cooperation since he was seconded to the GRIPS in 2019.