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A handful of initiatives in the Indo-Pacific region show what can be achieved through international partnerships, even while fallout from global events hinders cooperation on development and climate action. Global cooperation is the central theme of Sustainable Development Goal 17, but also the key to success across the other 16 goals. The past year has shown why that success is so critical. This year has seen the hottest summer on record, with average global temperatures projected to continue to rise, and more extreme weather conditions, including raging wildfires across the world.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Pentagon stuck a conciliatory tone toward Beijing in its new defense strategy, stating that its overarching goal is to establish “strategic stability" in the Indo-Pacific region and de–escalate tensions with the Chinese military.

Act East Policy is the reflection of PM Narendra Modi’s foreign policy marked by dynamism and action. With the changing dynamics of the world, PM Modi in 2014, introduced a new vigour in India’s foreign policy. He transformed the Look East Policywith a more dynamic Act East Policy (AEP). Introduced in 1992, the Look East policy focused largely on economic ties with the Southeast Asia region. This shift was not just symbolic but marked a significant strategic approach that emphasized deeper diplomatic engagement, stronger trade partnerships, enhanced security cooperation, and cultural exchanges with Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region. The Act East Policy placed India as an active stakeholder in regional affairs. Over the past 10 years, the Act East Policy has positioned India as an active and influential player in Southeast Asia. The Indian PM’s frequent engagements, high-profile summits, and strategic partnerships have strengthened India's presence in the Indo-Pacific, making India not just a participant but a leader in regional affairs. Modi has himself visited SE Asia multiple times. This include trips to Singapore (2015, 2018, 2024), which have strengthened economic and fintech collaboration, and visits to Indonesia (2018, 2022, 2023), where India expanded its maritime security cooperation.

Quad dynamics remain stable, as the grouping is critical for Indo-Pacific security. «Tariff per se does not impact Quad.

In comments outside the White House, Trump singled out Australian beef, which saw a surge in exports to the United States last year, reaching A$4 billion amid a slump in U.S. beef production. «They won't take any of our beef. They don't want it because they don't want it to affect their farmers and you know, I don't blame them but we're doing the same thing right now,» Trump said in an event in the White House Rose Garden announcing tariffs on a wide range of U.S. trading partners. Australia banned U.S. fresh beef products in 2003 due to the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, otherwise known as mad cow disease, in U.S. cattle. BSE poses a risk to human health and has never been detected in cattle in Australia. Albanese said Trump had imposed a 10% duty on all Australian goods entering the United States, equivalent to the U.S. baseline tariff on all imports, despite U.S. goods entering Australia tariff free.

Xi Jinping is making China’s presence more felt across the Indo-Pacific region by testing US allies on sensitive issues, as Donald Trump’s attention is taken up elsewhere. From sending warships off Australia’s coast for unprecedented shooting drills to flying a record number of “grey zone” balloons around Taiwan, and putting pressure on Thailand over human rights issues, Beijing is ramping up efforts to project power in the region. China also issued a strongly worded warning on Taiwan to Tokyo — which doesn’t officially recognize Taipei — against “colluding” with separatists. Trump’s sudden embrace of Russia, skepticism of NATO allies and tariffs that punish friendly nations have fueled concerns about the US as a reliable security partner in Asia, where Washington has for decades provided a buffer to Beijing.

Indo-Pacific could offer an alternative trading framework, but many countries—especially India—will be uneasy about China’s dominant role within it, commented Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times. He set the tone for CUTS International’s webinar on geopolitics last week. The two-session brought together global experts, policymakers, and thought leaders to assess the implications of President Donald Trump’s second term on the Indo-Pacific region’s geopolitics, trade, and security frameworks. Ambassador Meera Shankar, former Indian Ambassador to the U.S., emphasised that “Collective security, collective prosperity, and a rules-based order drive the Indo-Pacific region.” However, she noted that while economic cooperation has progressed, collective security remains a work in progress.

Marco Rubio said while greeting the people of India on the occasion of its Republic Day. India will showcase its military might and vibrant cultural heritage at an annual parade on the Kartavya Path in New Delhi on Sunday as the country completes 75 years as a Republic.

ePlane Company, an IIT-Madras-incubated startup, announced that it has received Type Certification for its e200X aircraft, which meets the highest safety and operational standards for commercial service. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted formal acceptance for the Type Certification of its electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday applauded the domestic defence manufacturing sector for taking big strides towards self-reliance, and said the country is now being recognised as a reliable partner across the world, especially the Global South.

Chinese dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River with Indian officials in New Delhi. The visit comes amid concerns raised by India about China's plans to build a large hydropower dam in Tibet on the Yarlung Zangbo River, which flows into India. This visit has sparked discussions on both environmental and geopolitical fronts, highlighting the intricate balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region.

As the Quad grouping celebrates its 20th anniversary, the member nations—India, the United States, Japan, and Australia—have reaffirmed their commitment to fostering a free, open, and peaceful Indo-Pacific. With tensions rising due to China’s growing military assertiveness in the region, the Quad members pledged to intensify their efforts in maintaining regional stability. This renewed commitment comes at a crucial time, as India is set to host the next Quad Leaders’ Summit in the latter half of 2025, marking a significant milestone in the partnership’s evolution.

U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission has raised alarms about China's military capabilities, suggesting that the nation poses a significant threat to US interests in the Indo-Pacific region. The comprehensive 793-page document, which draws from both classified and unclassified sources, indicates that China's military might now has the potential to outmatch U.S. forces in a future regional conflict. The report highlights that Beijing's military expansion over the past two decades has focused on developing a formidable arsenal of missiles, ships, aircraft, and advanced systems designed for potential conflicts in the Indo-Pacific. «It warns that, as result, US. forces and bases in the region would face a significant threat from the [People’s Liberation Army] in any regional contingency involving treaty allies and/or security partners, and the outcome of any such conflict is far from certain.» Despite the evident military advancements, the report notes that while China is bolstering its military readiness, it does not currently believe that an armed conflict is imminent. “There is ample evidence that China’s armed forces are enhancing their general military preparedness, but little evidence they are mobilizing for an imminent conflict at this time,” the report states.

Russia’s war on Ukraine if the alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow continues to deepen, according to people familiar with assessments made by some Group of 20 nations. The analysis is one of several on the evolving partnership between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the people, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions. They stressed that such a move wasn’t imminent and that military support at that scale — if it occurred — would likely happen in batches with troops rotating over time rather than in a single deployment. Ukraine’s ambassador to South Korea made a similar assessment earlier this month. Dmytro Ponomarenko said in an interview with VOA that Kyiv expected up to 15,000 North Korean troops deployed to fight in Russia’s Kursk region – and possibly in occupied areas of eastern Ukraine – to rotate every few months.

Russian military. The announcement was made by US Treasury and State Departments in what they described as «third-country enablers”. However, there is no independent verification if these Indian firms were part of efforts to boost Russian military apparatus. “…The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned 275 individuals and entities involved in supplying Russia with advanced technology and equipment that it desperately needs to support its war machine. Today’s action targets both individual actors and sprawling sanctions evasion networks across 17 jurisdictions, including India, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Switzerland, Thailand, and Türkiye,” according to the announcement.

North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and likely fight against Ukraine within «the next several weeks,» the Pentagon said Monday, in a move that Western leaders say will intensify the almost three-year war and jolt relations in the Indo-Pacific region. Some of the North Korean soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, and were believed to be heading for the Kursk border region, where Russia has been struggling to push back a Ukrainian incursion. Earlier Monday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte NATO confirmed recent Ukrainian intelligence reports that some North Korean military units were already in the Kursk region.

North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine within «the next several weeks,» the Pentagon said Monday, in a move that Western leaders say will intensify the almost three-year war and jolt relations in the Indo-Pacific region. Some of the North Korean soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, and were believed to be heading for the Kursk border region, where Russia has been struggling to push back a Ukrainian incursion. Earlier Monday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed recent Ukrainian intelligence reports that some North Korean military units were already in the Kursk region.

India «stands ready to make every possible contribution towards restoration of peace» in Ukraine and West Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. The strategic partnership between India and Germany has emerged as a «strong anchor» at a time when the world is going through an era of tensions and uncertainty, he said here with Chancellor Olaf Scholz by his side after an inter-governmental commission meeting. «We both agree on ensuring freedom of navigation and adherence to the rule of law in accordance with international laws in the Indo-Pacific region,» Modi said.

North Korean troops are poised to be deployed by Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine as early as this weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Friday. Western officials have warned that North Korean units joining the fight would stoke the almost three-year war and bring geopolitical consequences as far away as the Indo-Pacific region. The possibility has alarmed leaders and deepened diplomatic tensions around the war. A senior official in the Ukrainian presidential office told The Associated Press on Friday that Zelenskyy had cancelled a planned visit to Kyiv by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter, said the visit was supposed to come after this week's summit in the Russian city of Kazan of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, which Guterres attended.

hypersonic weapons to sink ships in the Pacific, the U.S. Navy is moving forward with a plan to arm some of its vessels with Patriot interceptor missiles, two senior defence officials said. One industry official said putting the highly agile Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors, used primarily in the U.S. by the Army, aboard Navy ships anticipates advances in Chinese missile technology, including the use of highly manoeuvrable hypersonic weapons. Integrating the Lockheed Martin-made missiles with ships' air defences comes amid simmering tension in the Indo-Pacific region as China rapidly modernizes its military, and in the wake of successful missile defense efforts in Ukraine and the Middle East.