Perspectives on Africa’s position and role in the evolving Indo-Pacific

Abstract

v44i2.4416The past decade and a half, ever since former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s ‘Confluence of the Two Oceans’ speech in front of the Indian parliament in August 2007, has seen the rapid evolution of the concept ‘Indo-Pacific’, a clear shift from what had been, since the 1990s, an emphasis on the ‘Asia Pacific’. From a global North perspective, the turn to the Indo-Pacific is a recognition of the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific in the global economy, as well as a concerted effort to address, if not counter, the rise of China and its growing global influence . Recently, a spate of countries and regional organisations have released Indo-Pacific strategies or policies, a clear indication of their awareness of the importance of this geographical area in the global political and economic terrains.