On May 11, an international conference themed “Indo-Pacific: Intensifying Great Power Competition and Strengthened Regionalization” was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, featuring Zhao Minghao, senior fellow at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, nonresident senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and China Forum expert; Jesper Møller Sørensen, state secretary for foreign policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; Gabriele Visentin, EU special envoy for the Indo-Pacific; Bilahari Kausikan, former second permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore; Evan A. Feigenbaum, vic e president at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Tetsuo Kotani, senior fellow at the Japan Institute for International Affairs.“The Indo-Pacific” is a highly geopoliticized concept as it is closely linked to the intensifying great power competition, Dr. Zhao said. The US Indo-Pacific Strategy is charged with a “military first” character, and its approach to Taiwan undermines not only the political cornerstone of China-US ties, but also the overall security in the region. As China strives to promote regional economic integration, a fierce US-China confrontation is not what Asia Pacific countries want.

The China-Russia relationship is being driven by its endogenous logic, Dr. Zhao stressed, before highlighting the growing importance, amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis, of peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region, a China-US crisis communication mechanism, and an inclusive, balanced and sustainable security architecture for the region.

This seminar aims to deepen the Danish government’s understanding of the global security landscape and trends.