Foreign Policy of Major Powers in the Indo-Pacific Region
Authors: Tran Nam Tien - Nguyen Tang Nghi (Co-editors)
The world is undergoing profound, landmark shifts since the end of the Cold War. Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed a historic transition from the Atlantic rim to the Indo-Pacific region. This shift lies not only in economic growth figures but also in the concentration of security hotspots and vital maritime corridors, with the Indo-Pacific becoming the world's “geopolitical center of gravity” featuring the most intense conflicts of interest. The nature of current geopolitical shifts is reflected in the rise of new poles, creating a future multipolar world linked to the strategic space of the Indo-Pacific. It can be said that the Indo-Pacific region is currently the convergence point for the world's leading powers: the United States, China, Russia, India, Japan, and the dynamic ASEAN bloc. Furthermore, since 2017, the EU and key European countries such as the UK, France, and Germany have also endeavored to engage deeply in the Indo-Pacific region. The growing convergence of interests among regional and extra-regional powers fuels strategic competition among major powers, most notably the U.S.-China strategic competition beginning in 2017. The U.S.-China strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific is not merely in the economic-trade sphere but is a comprehensive confrontation across multiple fronts. In the security and military domains, the U.S. and China have formed and strengthened new multilateral mechanisms such as QUAD (U.S., Japan, India, and Australia) or AUKUS (U.S., UK, and Australia) to counter the influence of China's regional initiatives ranging from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to global initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and most recently, the Global Governance Initiative. By 2025, the Indo-Pacific region is falling into a “Security Dilemma,” where one side's efforts to enhance security are perceived as a threat by the other, leading to a silent but fierce arms race.
Based on this awareness, the Faculty of History and International Relations, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, organized the National Scientific Conference: “Security - Political Dialogue in the Indo-Pacific Region 2025 and Forecasts.” The conference attracted interest and paper submissions from experts, scientists, and administrators from domestic universities such as: University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Hanoi; University of Sciences, University of Education, and School of International Studies - Hue University; The University of Danang; University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City; Saigon University; Fulbright University Vietnam; Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance; Open University Ho Chi Minh City; Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages - Information Technology; Nguyen Tat Thanh University; Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam - Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Regional Academy II - Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics;... as well as research institutes in Hanoi such as: Institute for Asia-Pacific Studies, Institute of History, Institute of South Asian, West Asian and African Studies,... and many other units across the country.
Papers submitted to the Conference focused on three main thematic groups:
I. GENERAL ISSUES OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY - POLITICS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION BY 2025.
1. The changing world landscape and the formation of a “Network of Intertwined Relations” in the Indo-Pacific region (Dr. Hoang Hue Anh)
2. Continental powers and maritime powers through the lens of history in the current Indo-Pacific Order (Dr. Dao Minh Hong)
3. Strategic movements in the Indo-Pacific in 2025: Reshaping the regional security structure and implications for Vietnam (Dr. Nguyen Van Duan)
4. New power structure in the Indo-Pacific in the 2020-2030 period: From “soft bipolarity” to “multi-axis competition” (MSc. Huynh Ho Dai Nghia)
5. ASEAN facing policy adjustments by U.S. President Donald Trump from early 2025 regarding the Southeast Asian region (Dr. Trinh Diep Phuong Vu)
6. ASEAN's conflict resolution role: Case study of Cambodia - Thailand in 2025 (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Anh Tuan)
7. Challenges to ASEAN from intra-bloc conflicts: The case of the Thailand - Cambodia conflict 2025 (Dr. Le Thi Ngoc Han, MSc. To Hai Dang)
8. The drone (UAV) race: How competition in UAV development among major powers reshapes the Indo-Pacific security landscape (Dr. Nguyen Thanh Trung, MSc. Nguyen Ngoc Vinh Phuc)
9. The impact of artificial intelligence on the defense strategies of major powers in the Indo-Pacific region (MSc. Ha Thi Nga)
10. The contradiction between international counter-terrorism cooperation and the principle of non-interference in internal affairs: Practical cases and suggestions for Vietnam (MSc. Nguyen Tran Anh Thu)
11. Indo-Pacific security structure in the 2025 power shift: Vietnam’s counter-strategy (Dr. Nguyen Thai Giao Thuy)
12. Future scenarios for the regional security structure: Multipolarity or Polarization? (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Xuan Hiep, MSc. Le Hoang Kiet, Nguyen Tran Hoai Dong)
13. Security - political landscape in the Indo-Pacific region in 2025: Impact on world and regional order and some proposals for Vietnam (Colonel Hoang Van Canh)
II. STRATEGY AND FOREIGN POLICY OF MAJOR POWERS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION BY 2025: ADJUSTMENTS AND IMPACTS ON REGIONAL SECURITY - POLITICS.
14. China and the “Sino-centric Order” (Dr. Nguyen Xuan Cuong)
15. China’s gray zone tactics at sea: Manifestations and impacts on maritime security order in the East Sea and the Indian Ocean (Master Candidate Pham Huynh Dan Thanh)
16. U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy 2025: Continuity, adjustment, or fundamental change? (Dr. Vo Thi Kim Thao, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Van Hien)
17. U.S. unilateral policy in the Trump 2.0 era and Indo-Pacific security from the perspective of Offensive Realism (Master Candidate Duong Thi Cat My)
18. U.S. foreign policy under Trump 2.0 and relations with allies in the Indo-Pacific region (Dr. Nguyen Thu Hanh)
19. Trump 2.0 foreign policy: The risk of dismantling U.S. soft power structures in the Asia-Pacific region (Dr. Ngo Thi Bich Lan)
20. U.S. strategy toward China in Southeast Asia during the 2009-2020 period: From “Competition” to “Strategic Competition” (Dr. Nguyen Thu Trang)
21. U.S. strategic communications regarding the Indo-Pacific region: Free and Open (Dr. Vu Tuan Anh, Nguyen Duc Phuc)
22. U.S. force aggregation trends in the Indo-Pacific region under President Donald Trump 2.0 (Dr. Pham Thi Yen)
23. India’s policy in the Indo-Pacific region under the Narendra Modi administration (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vo Xuan Vinh)
24. India’s strategic adjustments toward the Indo-Pacific region and suggestions for Vietnam (Dr. Le Thi Hang Nga, Master Candidate Vu Thi Huong Giang)
25. Russia’s “Pivot” to Asia strategy and its impacts on the Indo-Pacific region (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hai Dang)
26. The Russian Federation’s Look East policy in Southeast Asia in the context of 21st-century global competition (MSc. Phan Thi Anh Thu, Dr. Ha Trong Nghia, Nguyen Minh Thuc)
27. Japan’s policy in the Indo-Pacific region in 2025: Continuing the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy with adaptation in the new context (Dr. Tran Hoang Long, MSc. Nguyen Le Thy Thuong)
28. Japan’s defense strategy and security diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region in 2025 (Dr. Nguyen Tuan Binh, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Co)
29. France’s Indo-Pacific strategy: From strategic ambition to practical implementation (MSc. Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung)
30. France - India - UAE relations and maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean (2023-2025) (Master Candidate Nguyen Tu Minh Khue)
31. Security dilemma in the UK’s pivot policy in the Indo-Pacific in the post-Brexit era (2021 - 2025) (Master Candidate Nguyen Thi Nha Linh)
32. The role of extra-regional actors in the Indo-Pacific security architecture: Case study of the United Kingdom (MSc. Tran Xuan Bao Long, Pham Duc Thang)
III. VIETNAM’S STRATEGY AND FOREIGN POLICY TOWARD NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY - POLITICS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION BY 2025.
33. Research on Vietnam’s international integration in the new situation (Prof. Dr. Hoang Khac Nam)
34. Vietnam’s strategic positioning in the Indo-Pacific security environment in 2025 (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Thi Thuy)
35. Vietnam’s policy adjustment strategy in U.S.-China competition viewed from Hedging theory (Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi)
36. Vietnam’s current great power balancing strategy from the Neorealist perspective (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Nam Tien)
37. Vietnam’s foreign policy regarding Indo-Pacific regional security (Dr. Doan Ngoc Tuan)
38. Vietnam’s defense and security diplomacy dialogues with strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region (Dr. Le Tung Lam, Dr. Nguyen Ha Trang)
39. Local-level international cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and perspectives from Vietnamese localities (Dr. Do Phuong Thao)
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