Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?

Why Should We Care if China is Building its Biggest Island Yet in the South China Sea? | with Greg Poling

At the start of 2025, Antelope Reef was little more than a sandbar in the Paracel Islands. Months later, it's on track to become China's largest artificial island in the South China Sea. In this episode, we sit down with Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) [https://amti.csis.org/] at CSIS and author of On Dangerous Ground: America's Century in the South China Sea [https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Ground-Americas-Century-South/dp/0197633986], to unpack what China is building, why it's building it now, and what it means for the region – and especially Vietnam. Greg walks us through the latest satellite imagery, explains why the scale and speed of construction caught even seasoned analysts off guard, and lays out the military implications of a potential new airstrip in the western Paracels – the first in an area where Vietnamese fishermen have operated for generations. We explore why both China and Vietnam claim the Paracel Islands, how Vietnam’s own massive island-building campaign in the Spratly Islands complicates the narrative, and why Hanoi’s response to Antelope Reef has been surprisingly restrained. The conversation turns to the broader geopolitical landscape: Vietnam’s strategic rebalancing between Washington and Beijing, the Philippines’ recalibration during its ASEAN chairmanship, and whether a South China Sea Code of Conduct can ever be more than symbolic. With the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 Hague arbitral ruling approaching in July, we assess whether it has been a net positive or negative for the Philippines and the rules-based order. We also discuss middle-power alignment, the expanding Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, and what countries like the United States, Japan, and Australia should and shouldn’t do in response. Whether you follow South China Sea tensions closely or are just trying to understand why a reef you’ve never heard of will soon be ready to receive combat aircraft and navy destroyers, this episode connects the dots between island-building, international law, great power competition and the future of the Indo-Pacific. 👉 Follow Greg Poling on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-poling-923406245/] 👉 Follow the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative on X (@AsiaMTI [https://x.com/AsiaMTI]) and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AsiaMaritimeTransparencyInitiative] 👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast [https://x.com/IndoPacPodcast], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-should-we-care-about-the-indo-pacific/], or Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/IndoPacPodcast] 👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay [https://x.com/GordianKnotRay], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondpowell/], or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight [https://www.sealight.live/] 👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-carouso-baa31a9/] 👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia [https://bowergroupasia.com/], a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Why Should We Care About America’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission in Iran? | with Ioannis Koskinas and Joe Felter

The U.S. military just pulled off one of the most dramatic combat search and rescue missions in history, sending forces deep into Iran to recover the crew of a downed F‑15E Strike Eagle fighter. Aircraft were lost, firefights erupted, and both airmen came home alive. The last time America attempted something this ambitious inside Iran was Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 - and that ended in disaster. In this episode, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso sit down with two retired special operations colonels: Ioannis Koskinas (Air Force Special Operations, CEO of The Hoplite Group, former senior advisor to Generals McChrystal and Schwartz) and Joe Felter (Army Special Forces, Director of Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense). As Felter puts it: no other country could have pulled this off, and no other country would have tried. The conversation starts with the rescue: how it was planned in under 48 hours, how and why aircraft were lost at a forward staging site deep in Iran, and what separates this outcome from the 1980 failure. It then pivots to the broader war: where the conflict with Iran is headed, the risk of Gulf state escalation, and why both guests, drawing on painful experience from Afghanistan’s collapse, warn against assuming tactical brilliance equals strategic victory. The episode closes with the Indo‑Pacific: what allies are thinking as American attention and resources once again pour into the Middle East, and whether the U.S. can fight in the Gulf without undermining its ability to deter China. 👉 Follow Ioannis Koskinas [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioannis-koskinas-3706866/] and The Hoplite Group [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-hoplite-group/posts/?feedView=all] on LinkedIn 👉 Follow Joe Felter [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joefelter/] and the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation [https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordgkc/posts/?feedView=all] on LinkedIn 👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast [https://x.com/IndoPacPodcast], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-should-we-care-about-the-indo-pacific/], or Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/IndoPacPodcast] 👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay [https://x.com/GordianKnotRay], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondpowell/], or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight [https://www.sealight.live/] 👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-carouso-baa31a9/] 👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia [https://bowergroupasia.com/], a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Why Should We Care About Australia’s Big Economic Bet on Southeast Asia? | with Nicholas Moore

In Ep. 139, Ray Powell, Jim Carouso and guest co-host Nydia Ngiow of BowerGroupAsia sit down with Sir Nicholas Moore, the former Macquarie Group CEO who authored Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 - the landmark report designed to expand Australian trade and investment across ASEAN. Sir Nicholas explains why Australian companies have historically overlooked Southeast Asia in favor of North America and Europe, even as the region’s economies grow at 5-7% annually. He reveals that 50 of the report’s 75 recommendations have already been acted upon by six Australian government ministries, signaling serious political commitment from the top. The conversation covers the 10 priority sectors identified in the strategy, including education, green energy, infrastructure, digital economy, agriculture and mining, with Moore highlighting examples like Australian universities establishing campuses across Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, and deal teams in Jakarta, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City helping investors navigate unfamiliar markets. Nydia brings the Southeast Asian perspective, probing how new trade agreements between Indonesia and the EU, Canada and the US could affect Australia’s competitive position, and what Australia needs to do domestically, including streamlining its Foreign Investment Review Board, to attract more inbound ASEAN investment. The discussion turns to the bigger geopolitical picture: China’s export surge into Southeast Asia, US tariff disruptions and the “China plus one” diversification trend that accelerated after COVID. Sir Nicholas offers a notably calm take on US tariffs, comparing their effect to a goods and services tax and suggesting the impact on ASEAN economies may be manageable. He closes by praising Southeast Asian governments’ flexibility and adaptability in responding to shifting global trade dynamics. Essential listening for anyone tracking Indo-Pacific economic integration, ASEAN investment opportunities, Australia-Southeast Asia relations, US-China trade competition, and supply chain diversification in the region. 👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast [https://x.com/IndoPacPodcast], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-should-we-care-about-the-indo-pacific/], or Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/IndoPacPodcast] 👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay [https://x.com/GordianKnotRay], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondpowell/], or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight [https://www.sealight.live/] 👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-carouso-baa31a9/] 👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia [https://bowergroupasia.com/], a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Why Should We Care About China’s Campaign to Steal Our Secrets? | with David Shedd

Former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency David Shedd joins hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso to discuss his bestselling book “The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets [https://www.amazon.com/Great-Heist-Campaign-Americas-Secrets/dp/0063451832].” Shedd reveals how China has executed the largest illicit wealth transfer in history - an estimated $600 billion per year in stolen Intellectual Property - and why it matters to everyone from Main Street workers to Indo-Pacific allies. In Ep. 138, Shedd breaks down China’s “capture, cage, and kill” strategy that lures Western companies with market access, traps them with restrictive laws, then undercuts them with cheaper copies of their own technology. He traces the campaign from Deng Xiaoping’s 1984 vision through Made in China 2025 and explains how two false Western assumptions - that China would play by WTO rules and eventually democratize - left the door wide open. The conversation covers the Tesla-to-BYD pipeline, the sale of advanced Nvidia chips, China’s hypersonic breakthroughs built on stolen stealth technology, Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon cyber intrusions embedded in critical infrastructure, and what allies like Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines are doing - or not doing - to respond. Shedd also delivers a direct simulated intelligence briefing to U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his planned Beijing summit, warning that China’s Ministry of State Security now fields over 300,000 operatives with a dedicated bureau targeting the United States. This podcast is essential listening for policymakers, business leaders, academics, and anyone concerned about the intersection of economic security, technology competition, and the future of the Indo-Pacific. 👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast [https://x.com/IndoPacPodcast], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-should-we-care-about-the-indo-pacific/], or Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/IndoPacPodcast] 👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay [https://x.com/GordianKnotRay], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondpowell/], or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight [https://www.sealight.live/] 👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-carouso-baa31a9/] 👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia [https://bowergroupasia.com/], a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Why Should We Care if Southeast Asia is the World’s Fourth Largest Economy? | with retired Ambassador Brian McFeeters

Despite sweeping US tariffs, a landmark Supreme Court ruling, and ongoing trade policy uncertainty, businesses in Southeast Asia are holding firm. In this episode, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso sit down with retired Ambassador Brian McFeeters [https://www.usasean.org/people/amb-brian-mcfeeters], President and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council, to explore what shifting US trade policies mean for companies operating across the region. Brian reveals why Southeast Asia remains a compelling destination for business investment. The region is now the world’s fourth largest economy, growing 25% faster than most other regions, with a young, digitally savvy population driving explosive growth in technology, financial services and healthcare. Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines - the “VIP” countries - are leading the charge. The conversation digs into the real impact of tariffs and the Supreme Court decision that struck them down, why non-tariff barriers like local content requirements matter more to companies than headline tariff rates, how Indonesia’s new trade agreement with the US could reshape market access, and whether Chinese competitors are gaining an edge in cloud services and infrastructure. Brian also discusses ASEAN’s promising digital economic framework agreement, which could codify free data flows across the region, and explains why Southeast Asia is seen as the most fertile ground in the world for deploying artificial intelligence - with welcoming government policies and none of the regulatory friction seen in Europe. Whether you follow trade policy, supply chain strategy, or emerging market opportunities, this episode offers a ground-level view of how business actually gets done in one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. 👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast [https://x.com/IndoPacPodcast], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-should-we-care-about-the-indo-pacific/], or Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/IndoPacPodcast] 👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay [https://x.com/GordianKnotRay], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondpowell/], or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight [https://www.sealight.live/] 👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-carouso-baa31a9/] 👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia [https://bowergroupasia.com/], a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific