Title: ASEAN/Indo-Pacific Geopolitics

Presenters:
Habon, Amos Nathaniel Ramos
arhabon.shsi@gmail.com
Sunio, Kate Nicole Amaya
knsunio.shsi@gmail.com

For many years now, China has been growing as this big imperialistic super power in the
eastern part of the globe. This has been affecting China’s neighboring countries especially in the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which commonly affects Indonesia, the
Philippines, and Singapore. Situations like the Spratly Islands in the Philippines, economic and
domestic relations with Singapore, and Indonesia’s Maritime Dispute, are just examples where
China has been raising pressure in the ASEAN and Indo-Pacific region. ASEAN has made
strides with its Indo-Pacific policy and recognized significant reform challenges, although it still
has to act more proactively to further regional collaboration.

ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific does have good ties with outside military and navy forces
such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), a military power comprising the United
States, India, Japan, and Australia; and ASEAN also has AUKUS, a submarine fleet comprising
Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Although it is time for us to be
independent and be able to stand up for ourselves against a rising neighboring super power.

A goal citizens of ASEAN countries need to achieve is to combat trade war and prevent
the wave of protectionism. It is crucial to develop a course of action for economic cooperation
amongst ASEAN nations. ASEAN must hold its partners responsible for actions that directly
affect Southeast Asia in order to establish a duty for preliminary discussions. We must not permit
external influences to control the dialogue on the Indo-Pacific.
Presentation Outline/Script:
1. Introduction
a. The Indo-Pacific is the most ambitious imaginary in many aspects since it
combines the Pacific and Indian Oceans into a single meta region.
b. Introduce the Spratly Islands
i. Focus on the Philippine’s point of view on the topic
ii. Talk about the Spratly Islands not just as a land ownership debate, but also
as a passageway of economic and international trade
c. Introduce the Maritime Dispute
i. Focus on Indonesia’s Maritime Dispute
d. Introduce the 9 Dash Line
i. Talk about Australia’s refusal/rejection to China’s claims
ii. Introduce China’s nationalistic government at this time period (1940’s
onwards)
2. Unify the argument/subject of the topic as how imperialistic China is affecting the Indo-
Pacific region
a. This can be seen on the main three subtopics given as Spratly Islands, Maritime
Dispute, and the 9 Dash line
b. Briefly mention about the Belt and Road Initiative and how it is a by-product of
the sea war
3. Include the idea of Philippine politics throughout the years starting from Ferdinand
Marcos to Bongbong Marcos
a. Show as to how the Philippines strived through the rising heat in the Indo-Pacific
Region
i. Talk about Ferdinand Marcos’ ideologies during this time as to where his
economic and international relations point of view stance are
ii. Talk about how Cory Aquino wasn’t able to focus on this topic as she was
combated with domestic relations problems
iii. Briefly skim through Ramos, Estrada, Aroyo
iv. Talk about how Benigno Aquino raised headlines with being Pro-America
after byproducts of the Cold War in which enraged China
 v. Talk about the Duterte administration whereas most of his administration
was more into courting China in a stance to save the Philippines from
getting caught in rising heat with Indo-Pacific international affairs until
the end of his term where he gave back the power to the United States of
America in turn again enraging China
vi. Visualize how the current Marcos administration might be both with
domestic and international affairs
vii. If time permits, introduce Sara Duterte’s idea on making mandatory
military service in the Philippines
4. Present the efforts done by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in order to
lessen the tension within the Indo-Pacific and with China
a. Talk about the Code of Conduct signed in 2012 by ASEAN leaders and China that
was orchestrated by Singapore
i. Talk about how Singapore has done notable efforts but mention how they
are not great and are not enough to combat the tension in the Indo-Pacific
ii. Talk about how Singapore’s efforts are mostly self-beneficial
b. Talk about the Hague awarding against China in their claims with Spratly Islands
c. Mention arbitrations done within the past decade
d. Show how these Code of Conducts, Awards, and Arbitrations have done little to
nothing about the situation mostly due to the reason whereas China refuses to
accept most of them.
e. Instead of using force or resolving conflicts, ASEAN's primary tasks in regional
security have been standard and trust-building.
f. ASEAN response serves as the pivot point in the ambitious project of attempting
to link the indian and pacific seas, using the Indo-Pacific Imaginary as an
example.
g. The level of ongoing negotiation, adaptation, and contestation that each of these
imaginaries are not flawless or unchallenged.
h. The maintenance of ASEAN depends on protecting the primacy.
 i. Therefore, the ASEAN Outlook supports Indonesia's role, which may be
the only nation in Southeast Asia with the size, location, and potential to
challenge China, the United States, or any other giant.
ii. As a result, Indonesia has been focusing on an Indo-Pacific strategy
focused on ASEAN that is more in line with the organization's values of
inclusivity, and tactful approaches rather than an overly combatic.
i. Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
i. ASEAN treaty where there are 43 parties
ii. Talk about when each Country signed it
1. Philippines during Marcos administration
2. U.S.A. during Obama administration
5. Introduce China’s rising civil war with their communistic party versus their democratic
party
a. Include all corruption investigation on Chinese politicians
b. Human rights violations in Hongkong
c. Human rights violations in China
6. Introduce the external forces ASEAN has at their disposal and how each country like the
Philippines and Singapore have their Geopolitical compass leaning on
a. Introduce the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad)
i. Mention the numbers and statistics of each involved country
1. The Indo-Pacific is inextricably linked to an early collaboration
initiative called the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)
consisting of the United States, India, Japan, and Australia that has
been revived in reaction to China's rising aggressiveness.
b. Introduce AUKUS
i. Mention the numbers and statistics of each involved country
1. Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America
c. Introduce how the United State’s mainly right-winged government affects the
maritime dispute in the Indo-Pacific
i. Mention how the the Obama administration was a strong and combative
period for China
 ii. Mention how the Trump administration had its American isolationism
iii. Look at how the Biden administration is doing whether to as rising tension
in the Indo-pacific
d. Mention the military and navy expenditure of the Quad and AUKUS and compare
it to China’s military expenditure and briefly include Indonesia’s military power
together with the Philippine’s military power
7. State that although these external forces exist, it doesn’t statistically hinder a lot of the
rising tension in the Indo-Pacific, introducing that unity is still the best answer to the
problems the ASEAN country members are facing.
a. Show how Singapore’s ideologies for the ASEAN is very western, and might
work for the ASEAN
i. Although Singapore doesn’t have the power nor the land to lead ASEAN
as it is just a City-State that is even twenty-three times smaller than
Beijing
ii. Mention how Singapore isn’t a developing country unlike a lot of the other
ASEAN nations which in turn makes a lot of their ideologies self-
beneficial
8. Look at other country-groups such as the European Union (EU) and go as to where they
left off
a. Introduce the idea of treaties with each ASEAN nation like Indonesia and the
Philippines
9. Finally propose and mention again that ASEAN should either adapt a western dialogue or
make its own special kind of dialogue in order to get away from rising protectionism.
ASEAN simply just needs to be more unified.
a. A goal citizens of ASEAN countries need to achieve is to combat trade war and
prevent the wave of protectionism.
b. It is crucial to develop a course of action for economic cooperation amongst
ASEAN nations.
c. ASEAN must hold its partners responsible for actions that directly affect
Southeast Asia in order to establish a duty for preliminary discussions.
d. We must not permit external influences to control the dialogue on the Indo-
Pacific.
e. Additionally, it is often underlined that the normative goals that proponents of the
Indo-Pacific Strategic Imaginary wishes to advance through the Indo-Pacific
initiatives, such as the notion of inclusive regionalism.
f. It is important that small states act with a feeling of agency during this process of
negotiation and formation.
Sources:

Acharya, A. (2021, December 28). ASEAN and the new geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific. East
Asia Forum. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/12/29/asean-and-the-new-geopolitics-of-the-
indo-pacific/

Blaxland, J., & Sharma, A. (2021, April 30). Bolstering the Quad beyond its military dimensions.
East Asia Forum. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/04/30/bolstering-the-quad-beyond-its-
military-dimensions/

Jennings, R. (2022, April 16). Indonesia Leans Further Toward US Amid Growing Maritime
Dispute With China. VOA. https://www.voanews.com/a/indonesia-leans-further-toward-us-
amid-growing-maritime-dispute-with-china-/6532120.html

Peng Er, L. (2021). Singapore-China relations in geopolitics, economics, domestic politics and
public opinion:An awkward “special relationship”?. Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies,
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Tarapore, A. (2021, September 29). AUKUS is deeper than just submarines. East Asia Forum.
https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/09/29/aukus-is-deeper-than-just-submarines/