Free and Open Indo-Pacific: A Strategy to Counter China or a Space for Regional Dialogue?

The term "Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" was first used by Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in 2016, where he conceptualized the Indo-Pacific as "the bridge between Japan and Africa." Since then, the Abe administration has emphasized FOIP as the guiding principle of Japanese Foreign Policy. In this vision, Japan plays a leadership role in "promoting the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as Asia and Africa, in a region that values ​​freedom, the rule of law, the free market economy, and is prosperous, free from any force or coercion" (Shinzo Abe, 2016). Over the past six years, political leaders, and relevant actors in International Politics — Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, the European Union (EU), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) — have embraced FOIP in their Foreign Policy strategies. Consequently, many regard FOIP as part of the US-China conflict, believing it to be a strategy in opposition to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In this paper, I argue that this is not the case. From an analysis of recent literature on FOIP and primary sources, I argue that FOIP is much more complex than a simple Chinese containment strategy. That is because FOIP is not only about Asian rivalry or part of a conflict between great powers but rather a space for regional Indo-Pacific dialogue and, ultimately, an attempt at regional self-promotion — Asia trying to organize Asia itself.