Introduction

In 2007, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe proposed that if Japan and India were to come together, it would coalesce a "broader Asia" that would be "open and transparent" and "allow people, goods, capital, and knowledge to flow freely."1 Abe's speech marked the emergence on the international stage of the idea that the Indian and Pacific Oceans are linked in a strategic arc, and that this region should be free and open. Abe's commitment to this idea solidified during his second term in office (2012-14), culminating in his launching of Japan's "free and open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP) strategy in 2016, with the goals of "freedom, the rule of law, and the market economy, free from force or coercion, and making it prosperous." Since then, Japan has successfully promoted its FOIP concept. In 2017, U.S. president Donald Trump explicitly adopted FOIP language, stating that "I've had the honor of sharing our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific-a place where sovereign and independent nations, with diverse cultures and many different dreams, can all prosper side-by-side, and thrive in freedom and in peace. That the definition of the FOIP concept remains open to interpretation is a potential strength because states can adapt the concept to their circumstances. With the FOIP concept still under development, in January 2020 the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada hosted a conference in Vancouver at which speakers from Australia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and the United States outlined their respective views on the Indo-Pacific idea. This roundtable is a joint project of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. Both institutions featured participants at the conference and belong to the Asia Policy consortium. This roundtable features a selection of essays on the FOIP idea, some presented at the conference and some drafted in retrospect.