DPG Indo-Pacific Monitor
Indo Pacific Monitor
Authors Commodore Lalit Kapur (Retd.)
Date: December 01, 2022
November was the month of summits. Global leaders gathered for the UN Climate Change Conference at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt on November 11-12. ASEAN leaders gathered at Phnom Penh on the same for their annual summits, including with ASEAN partners. The 17th East Asia Summit took place at Phnom Penh on November 13. The G20 Summit took place at Bali on November 15 & 16. This was followed by the APEC Summit at Bangkok on November 16-19. These summits came at a time of accelerating bipolar confrontation, giving hope that cooperation and multilateral solutions were still on the table. They also provided opportunity for a series of leader-level meetings, both between China and Indo-Pacific powers, as well as between partner nations in the region. India’s participation in the ASEAN and related summits was through its Vice-President, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present at the G20 summit and met his Quad counterparts, among others.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida elaborated on his foreign policy in an Op-Ed published by the Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies. In parallel, an advisory panel tasked with reviewing Japan’s security capabilities submitted its report, urging the nation to shoulder a heavier tax burden to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities and calling for the acquisition of counterstrike capability to maintain and enhance deterrence. The two events point to an impending increase in Japan’s defence spending, though how far it will go in providing Japan an independent deterrent capability, even conventional, remains to be seen.
Participation by the Indian Navy in three maritime events in Japan during the month, including Exercise Malabar, confirmed the trend of growing Indian presence in the Indo-Pacific. The IAF trained with the Royal Singapore Air Force and the Indonesian Air Force during the month, while exercises were also conducted with Australian ships in the Bay of Bengal. The month ended with commencement of the 18th edition of the India-US Exercise Yudh Abhyas.
China was reported to have operationalised the JL-3 SLBM on its Jin-class submarines. The missile, with an estimated range of 10,000-12,000 Km, provides Chinese submarines the ability to hold at risk substantial sections of the Western United States without having to leave the South China Sea. It does not, however, make any difference for India, which was already well within range of the existing JL-2 SLBM on China’s SSBNs.
China bared its plans for the Indian Ocean Region through convening of a China Indian Ocean Development Cooperation Forum at Kunming on November 21. The Forum aims to advance implementation of China’s Global Development Initiative in the region and thus build a maritime community with a shared future. It enables China to create an alternate, China-dominated and directed structure to IORA, upstage the Quad’s initiatives to provide public goods and counter India’s SAGAR initiative.
Canada unveiled its Indo-Pacific Strategy on November 29. The strategy describes China as a disruptive power and seeks to counter it where necessary, while continuing to cooperate where possible to address common challenges. It aspires to substantially strengthen relations with India, Japan and South Korea.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida elaborated on his foreign policy in an Op-Ed published by the Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies. In parallel, an advisory panel tasked with reviewing Japan’s security capabilities submitted its report, urging the nation to shoulder a heavier tax burden to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities and calling for the acquisition of counterstrike capability to maintain and enhance deterrence. The two events point to an impending increase in Japan’s defence spending, though how far it will go in providing Japan an independent deterrent capability, even conventional, remains to be seen.
Participation by the Indian Navy in three maritime events in Japan during the month, including Exercise Malabar, confirmed the trend of growing Indian presence in the Indo-Pacific. The IAF trained with the Royal Singapore Air Force and the Indonesian Air Force during the month, while exercises were also conducted with Australian ships in the Bay of Bengal. The month ended with commencement of the 18th edition of the India-US Exercise Yudh Abhyas.
China was reported to have operationalised the JL-3 SLBM on its Jin-class submarines. The missile, with an estimated range of 10,000-12,000 Km, provides Chinese submarines the ability to hold at risk substantial sections of the Western United States without having to leave the South China Sea. It does not, however, make any difference for India, which was already well within range of the existing JL-2 SLBM on China’s SSBNs.
China bared its plans for the Indian Ocean Region through convening of a China Indian Ocean Development Cooperation Forum at Kunming on November 21. The Forum aims to advance implementation of China’s Global Development Initiative in the region and thus build a maritime community with a shared future. It enables China to create an alternate, China-dominated and directed structure to IORA, upstage the Quad’s initiatives to provide public goods and counter India’s SAGAR initiative.
Canada unveiled its Indo-Pacific Strategy on November 29. The strategy describes China as a disruptive power and seeks to counter it where necessary, while continuing to cooperate where possible to address common challenges. It aspires to substantially strengthen relations with India, Japan and South Korea.
