Event Report | Panel Discussion on “Strengthening Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific” : By Patricia Cheryln

The Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S), in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, hosted a panel discussion titled “Strengthening Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific” on August 29, 2025, at the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai. The event aimed to explore strategies for addressing emerging threats, enhancing regional cooperation, and promoting sustainable practices to ensure a secure and prosperous maritime domain in the Indo-Pacific region. The audience consisted of students and faculty from various colleges in Chennai.

The panel included Dr. April Herlevi, Senior Research Scientist, Centre for Naval Analyses (CNA), Washington, DC., and Commodore R. S. Vasan IN (Retd), Director General, Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S). The welcome address and the introduction were provided by Mr. Eric Atkinson. He noted the importance of the Indo-Pacific as not just a geographic space, but the heart of global trade, as 80% of energy trade passes through the Indo-Pacific. He also recognized the challenges facing the countries in the Indo-Pacific, such as issues of piracy, drug and human trafficking, and therefore the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening maritime security.

This was followed by opening remarks from Commodore R S Vasan, who provided an outline of the strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, economic trade and security, and technology innovations to enhance maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific. On the technological aspect, he pointed out that technology has driven wars and how it can be disruptive with the growth of the cyber domain. He further highlighted the various frameworks of rules-based order in the region and laws that enforce the conduct in the seas, such as UNCLOS.

On India’s perspective on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, he noted that India, which has observed the Act East Policy, has accepted the centrality of ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific. This mutual relationship has provided greater opportunity in contributing to upholding the security in the region through joint naval exercises such as ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME) from 2023 in the South China Sea. Highlighting the contentions in the South China Sea, where a recent collision between a Chinese coast guard ship and a Philippine vessel occurred, he invoked the importance of the Code of Conduct (CoC) for the South China Sea, a legally binding agreement that aims to prevent conflict and escalation in the disputed waters.

On the economic front, affecting the trade and dismantling supply chains in the Indo-Pacific, he observed that the current tariff trend presents an opportunity to reshape the global order by fostering new alignments. This includes a greater focus on groupings like the QUAD and RCEP, which could influence future economic dynamics.

The session followed with remarks on the PLA’s role in the Indo-Pacific by Dr. April Herlevi, who introduced her work at the intersection of economics and security. She emphasized that, at present, China integrates considerations of national security into every sector it engages with and researches, making the collection of primary documents increasingly challenging. She therefore emphasized to the students the importance of integrating technological knowledge with expertise in the political dimensions of the economy in order to strengthen the quality of research.

She then notes that China’s approach has been rather hostile in the South China Sea for the last 40 years, compared to its presence in other regions such as the East China Sea. This, she argues, is due to China’s steady and rapid economic growth since the 1980s, and even though China has ratified the UNCLOS, it has not abided by the provisions of the UNCLOS. She places importance on the volume of bureaucratic actors in the SCS, such as the PLA Navy, Coast Guard, whose overlapping roles and interests pressure the other countries that share an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with China in the region. She concluded her remarks by noting the assertive role played by China in the South China Sea, particularly through its control and development of ports, militarization, and expansion of maritime infrastructure, which collectively reinforce its strategic presence in the region.

The discussion was followed by a Q&A session, which provided a chance for the students to engage with the speakers and raise questions related to different challenges in the Indo-Pacific, for both big countries and small island states in the region. The speakers and the audience interacted on the power play in the region, which calls for a China + 1 strategy to reduce dependence in the region, and also emphasized the importance of Track 2 diplomacy to resolve and get a better understanding from both perspectives of an issue. 

The session concluded with the delivery of a vote of thanks from the moderator of the session, Mr. Eric Atkinson, followed by a small vote of thanks by Commodore Vasan.