Impact of geoeconomics on strategic equilibrium in the Indo-Pacific

The logic of geoeconomics – that economic policy often affects national security and geopolitics – is becoming an orthodoxy. Semiconductor-export controls, infrastructure diplomacy and central-banking sanctions illustrate how economic tools are being used in novel and complex ways for strategic purposes. Nevertheless, there remains a widespread lack of understanding of how precisely economics and security are linked and the trade-offs involved. This translates into difficulties integrating and balancing core pillars of national interests – security and prosperity – into policy. This session looks at the conceptual frameworks for geoeconomics, discusses the mechanisms through which geoeconomic dynamics are feeding into geopolitical rivalry and the strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific, and analyses how the trade-offs between security and economic interests pose challenges for regional and global order.