Although the “Indo-Pacific” term has gained attention in the last couple of years especially among policy makers and scholars, the existing literature on the concept of Indo-Pacific particularly on the structure, purpose and actualization of its organization is still under deliberation. While some scholars and practitioners are embracing and adopting this recent formulation, others remained doubtful on its functions and significance. Despite its sudden rise in popularity in foreign policy circles, the Indo-Pacific as a geopolitical concept has not been well understood. Given these debates and gaps, and the absence of consensus among parties involved to agree on the discursive construction of the Indo-Pacific, this research aims to illustrate the definition of the Indo-Pacific concept, analyse the interests and intentions of states under the “Indo-Pacific” strategy and review how ASEAN perceive the “Indo-Pacific” strategy. The method used to achieve the research questions is through interviews and content analysis. It is found that the definition of the Indo-Pacific can be examined from its three main dimensions namely geography, geo-economic and geo-strategic. Furthermore, it is identified that the concern over the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific region has become the converging point of concern for India, Japan, the United States and Australia and thereby pushing them to make collective effort to pursue the strategy. Moreover, ASEAN has yet to provide a definitive and collective standing in regards to the Indo-Pacific strategy. This is mainly due to the differences in response among the ASEAN members towards the strategy and the fear of diminishing ASEAN centrality. In short, the study analyses in detail the different aspects of the Indo-Pacific to help to clarify certain debates and gaps regarding the Indo-Pacific.
