Vanguard Magazine

30 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 www.vanguardcanada.com EVENTS Oceans and Fisheries & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia) pointed to China's state-sponsored ille- gal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing programs, which have continued to spread further and further into the Pa- cific – reaching the Pacific coast of South America in some cases – as increasingly de- stabilizing; Beijing's ongoing IUU fishing programs frequently infringe on the rights of smaller states in the South China Sea, and are producing devastating ecological consequences for the entire region. In ad- dition to its maritime ambitions, China's economy is resilient and globally distribut- ed, as Dr. Kerry Nankivell (Director, Stra- tegic Assessments, Canadian Department of National Defence) observed, with 90 nations enjoying twice as much trade with China as they do the US, making any ef- fective decoupling from China much more difficult than has been done with Russia. Relatedly, Commodore Peter Leavy (Royal Australian Navy) noted that while China has unarguably benefitted from the current international order, an increasingly capable and nationalistic People's Liberation Army Navy has made it clear that China is now seeking to reshape that order to Beijing's benefit. However, one of the conference's great strengths was the inclusion of regional per- spectives from Southeast Asia and the Pa- cific Islands, who did not always share the same assessment of the current great pow- er competition as their fellow panelists. In a particularly well delivered segment, Ms. Elina Noor (Director, Political-Secu- rity Affairs, Asia Society Policy Institute) pointed out that in North American me- dia there has typically been two primar- ily narratives surrounding the competi- tion between the US and China – that of democracy vs autocracy, and chaos vs or- der, with little room in between – which is not the reality on the ground for many Southeast Asian nations, where gradations of democracy and autocracy frequently ex- ist. As Dr. Tarcisius Kabutaulaka (Associate Professor, University of Hawaii at Manoa) said, China has not necessarily always been seen as a bad actor in the region, and, especially in the Pacific Islands, does not have the same political baggage – such as a history of colonialism and nuclear test- ing – that some Western nations do. Dr. Kabutaulaka also noted that great powers are not used to being influenced by smaller powers, which makes the policies of great powers somewhat reactionary and not par- ticularly sustainable; an example given of this behaviour was the first-ever US-Pacific Islands Summit hosted by President Joe Biden this year, which took place in re- sponse to China's recent political advances in the Pacific Islands – such as the sign- ing of the China-Solomon Islands security pact – rather than the result of continuous long-term American engagement with the region. While Southeast Asian and Pacific Island nations may engage both the US and China, Dr. Aditi Malhotra (Editor-in- Chief, Canadian Army Journal) proposed that this was less an effort to counterbal- ance the two nations as it was an effort to have all major powers enmeshed in the security of the Indo-Pacific, to create a re- gional equilibrium that allows for smaller nations to maintain and express their au- tonomy. Finally, while the Five Eyes panel further explored the role of middle powers – de- fined by Commodore Leavy as a nation that can defend its vital interests from all but a great power threat – in the current strategic landscape, one of the panel's most interesting moments came from the question and answer period, where each of the panelists were asked to speak to the possibility of expanding the intelligence alliance to include additional like-minded nations, such as Japan and South Korea. While none of the deputy heads of navy would, understandably, comment on the likelihood of that possibility, all five pan- elists stressed the importance of other tri- and multi-lateral cooperation fora in the Indo-Pacific. Canada, for its part, is cer- tainly seeking to expand its own coopera- tion with regional partners, as the recently released Indo-Pacific Strategy highlighted Ottawa's intent to secure an information- sharing agreement with Japan – and later South Korea – which would improve the interoperability between the RCN and those key North Pacific partners and bring Canada in line with other Five Eyes mem- bers, such as the US and Australia, who already have similar intelligence sharing agreements in force. Maritime Security Challenges 2022 pro- vided attendees with thought provoking discussions, and the informal conversa- tions that took place over coffee breaks, lunches, and the banquet dinner enabled an even greater exchange of ideas and perspectives amongst the delegates. For those interested, recordings of the panels and some of the special presentations can be seen on the MSC's YouTube page, at www.youtube.com/@MSCConference. Kathleen Baxter is A/Analyst - International Engagement (N39) | MARPAC/JTF(P) HQ | Royal Canadian Navy, Department of National Defence | Government of Canada "Five Eyes Perspectives on the Indo-Pacific" panel, featuring Rear Admiral Christopher Smith (Deputy Commander, Royal Australian Navy), Rear-Admiral Steven Waddell (Deputy Commander, Royal Canadian Navy), Commodore Melissa Ross (Deputy Commander, Royal New Zealand Navy), Rear Admiral Anthony Rimington (Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff, Royal Navy), and Rear Admiral Tom Moninger (Director Plans Policy & Integration, United States Navy) Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee (Commander, Royal Canadian Navy) delivers opening remarks

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