Partnering with the Indo-Pacific: how can the West best partner with the fast-growing economies of the Indo-Pacific to maximise global economic growth, make progress on the climate crisis and increase shared resilience to shocks?

Partnering with the Indo-Pacific: how can the West best partner with the fast-growing economies of the Indo-Pacific to maximise global economic growth, make progress on the climate crisis and increase shared resilience to shocks?

This Ditchley conference examined how Western nations can best partner with the fast-growing Indo-Pacific economies, including India, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, and China, to maximise global economic growth, address the climate crisis, and increase resilience to shocks. The core question was whether existing frameworks, covering trade, security, and technology, are adequate for future growth and security, or if new arrangements are needed to reflect a multi-polar global power structure. There was a consensus that post-World War II institutions are struggling to evolve and must recognise the Indo-Pacific's centrality to the global economy and security. Discussions favoured a focus on 'shared interests' and pragmatism, acknowledging that national self-interest will likely shape international relationships, rather than Western insistence on 'shared values'. The context was set by US-China competition, economic security concerns, and threats to energy supplies. The Indo-Pacific region's economic, demographic, and geographic significance fundamentally changes geopolitics, having accounted for 50% of global economic growth and energy flows between 2000 and 2019. Key themes included achieving resilient innovation and supply chains amid US domestic policies, defining the scope for collaboration in areas like AI and quantum technology, and navigating the "just" green transition and energy security, which for the region is fundamentally about cost and fairness. Ultimately, a basic request from the region is for common standards to facilitate trade and markets to achieve greater prosperity, with bilateral partnerships seen as the most likely pragmatic way forward.