On Thursday 30th November, this one-day conference explored how Australia, the United Kingdom and India can better cooperate in the Indo-Pacific to promote an open, stable and prosperous region.
Jointly hosted by the Australian High Commission and the Indian High Commission in London in partnership with the Centre for Grand Strategy at King’s College London and the Council on Geostrategy, the conference brought senior stakeholders together for a frank exchange on key strategic, security and technological developments of great significance for the Indo-Pacific.
Building on the UK’s commitment to an in-depth engagement with the region as outlined in the 2023 Integrated Review Refresh, the conference was a timely opportunity to explore greater cooperation between the three close partners. Senior expert speakers, drawn from across all three countries, led interactive discussions to explore practical ideas to strengthen regional resilience, address threats to regional security and enhance strategic stability.
Keynote speakers included H.E. Stephen Smith, High Commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom, H.E. Vikram Doraiswami, High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom and Jenny Bates, Director General, Indo-Pacific, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Speakers from Australia, India and the United Kingdom took part in the three panel sessions at the conference.
The first session included Prof. Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre, Sir Simon Gass, and Ashok Malik, Partner at The Asia Group. This session was moderated by Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė, Co-founder and Director of Strategy at the Council on Geostrategy.
Panel two heard from James Rogers, Co-founder and Director of Research at the Council on Geostrategy, The Hon. Lisa Singh, CEO of the Australian India Institute, and Prof. Harsh V Pant, Vice President of the Observer Research Foundation. This panel was chaired by Prof. Alessio Patalano, Professor of War Studies in East Asia at King’s College London.
The final panel of the day included Dr Reuben Abraham, CEO of Artha Global, Sophia Gaston, Head of Foreign Policy and UK Resilience at Policy Exchange, and John Lee, Director of East West Futures. This panel was chaired by William Freer, Research Fellow (National Security) at the Council on Geostrategy.
The Venues
The Conference was held across Australia House, India House and King’s College London, all located in central London on the Strand and Aldwych within walking distance.
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