The Indo-Pacific is both a place and an idea. It is the region central to global prosperity and security. It is also a metaphor for collective action. If diplomacy fails, it will be the theatre of the first general war since 1945. But if its future can be secured, the Indo-Pacific will flourish as a shared space, the centre of gravity in a connected world.

Not only is the Indo-Pacific the area where the growing China-US rivalry seems to playing out, it is also home to a host of large and middle powers. These countries have a stake in that Great Power contest, but they also have ambitions and growing economies of their own. How can other countries respond to a strong and coercive China without resorting to capitulation or conflict?

Professor Rory Medcalf (Head of the National Security College at the Australian National University) is in conversation with Dr Rebecca Strating (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) at the Melbourne launch of his new book Contest for the Indo-Pacific: Why China Won't Map the Future published by La Trobe University Press. Introduced by Penny Burtt, CEO of Asialink.

Recorded at the State Library of Victoria on 5th March 2020.