Abstract

Building on the discussion in the previous chapter of India’s role in South East Asia, this chapter looks beyond to India’s relations with the nations of East Asia and the Pacific. This geographic space is characterized by the influence of both a status quo Great Power (the USA), the bilateral alliances and forward military forces of which greatly shape regional security dynamics, and a rising regional power (the People’s Republic of China). Since both the USA and China have such extensive economic and security ties with many countries in East Asia/Australasia it is dif-ficult to discuss regional dynamics there without reference to them. However, since India’s relations with both of these countries are taken up elsewhere in this Handbook, these two ‘ele-phants in the room’ will be pushed to the background of the discussion in this particular chapter.