The aim of this paper is to lay a foundation for inclusive collaboration toward a Digital Indo-Pacific, which accounts for the region’s differing but complementary strengths. A relatively new entrant in geopolitical nomenclature, the ‘Indo-Pacific’ has expanded to capture several ideas: the rule of law, balancing against China’s rise, strengthening regional institutions, and, most recently, securing technology and information flows. The four sections of this paper – Minerals and Technology Manufacturing; Digital Economy and Adoption; Inclusive Digital Transformation; and Regimes – represent a ‘four-layer’ framework for analysis. This paper analyses seven countries – India, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia – all representing different systems of governance, demographic drivers, levels of maturity of digital ecosystems, and economic models. The Conclusions and Recommendations section identifies pathways for collaboration condensed into ten recommendations.

About the QTN Series

The Quad Tech Network (QTN) is an Australian Government initiative to promote regional Track 2 research and public dialogue on cyber and critical technology issues. This paper is part of a series of papers by universities and think tanks in Australia (the National Security College at The Australian National University), India (the Observer Research Foundation), Japan (the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies) and the United States (Center for a New American Security). The QTN series offers analysis and recommendations on shared challenges facing Australia and Indo-Pacific partners across four themes:
• international peace and security • connectivity and regional resilience • human rights and ethics, and • national security.

The QTN is managed by the National Security College at The Australian National University, with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.