Ms. Eerishika Pankaj, Director of the Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA), spoke as part of the Panel on The Indo-Pacific Nexus: Geopolitics, Security, and Cooperation at the Observer Research Foundation’s (ORF) 7th Think Tank Forum, held on 6th February 2025. The forum convened leading experts to discuss the region’s evolving strategic landscape.
Ms. Pankaj highlighted the growing role of minilateral groupings in shaping the Indo-Pacific, not just as a military battlespace but as a contested arena for rules, norms and influence. She emphasized how minilaterals serve as norm entrepreneurs, actively influencing regional governance frameworks, security architectures, and economic connectivity standards. She also highlighted that with the Indo-Pacific increasingly defined by competition over the rules governing security, trade, and technology, these groupings play a crucial role beyond military posturing. They help establish new norms in maritime security, digital governance, supply chain resilience, and infrastructure development, reinforcing a multipolar and rules-based regional order.
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