Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?

In Ep. 139, Ray Powell, Jim Carouso and guest co-host Nydia Ngiow of BowerGroupAsia sit down with Sir Nicholas Moore, the former Macquarie Group CEO who authored Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 - the landmark report designed to expand Australian trade and investment across ASEAN.Sir Nicholas explains why Australian companies have historically overlooked Southeast Asia in favor of North America and Europe, even as the region’s economies grow at 5-7% annually. He reveals that 50 of the report’s 75 recommendations have already been acted upon by six Australian government ministries, signaling serious political commitment from the top.The conversation covers the 10 priority sectors identified in the strategy, including education, green energy, infrastructure, digital economy, agriculture and mining, with Moore highlighting examples like Australian universities establishing campuses across Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, and deal teams in Jakarta, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City helping investors navigate unfamiliar markets.Nydia brings the Southeast Asian perspective, probing how new trade agreements between Indonesia and the EU, Canada and the US could affect Australia’s competitive position, and what Australia needs to do domestically, including streamlining its Foreign Investment Review Board, to attract more inbound ASEAN investment.The discussion turns to the bigger geopolitical picture: China’s export surge into Southeast Asia, US tariff disruptions and the “China plus one” diversification trend that accelerated after COVID. Sir Nicholas offers a notably calm take on US tariffs, comparing their effect to a goods and services tax and suggesting the impact on ASEAN economies may be manageable. He closes by praising Southeast Asian governments’ flexibility and adaptability in responding to shifting global trade dynamics.Essential listening for anyone tracking Indo-Pacific economic integration, ASEAN investment opportunities, Australia-Southeast Asia relations, US-China trade competition, and supply chain diversification in the region.👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency David Shedd joins hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso to discuss his bestselling book “The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets.” Shedd reveals how China has executed the largest illicit wealth transfer in history - an estimated $600 billion per year in stolen Intellectual Property - and why it matters to everyone from Main Street workers to Indo-Pacific allies.In Ep. 138, Shedd breaks down China’s “capture, cage, and kill” strategy that lures Western companies with market access, traps them with restrictive laws, then undercuts them with cheaper copies of their own technology. He traces the campaign from Deng Xiaoping’s 1984 vision through Made in China 2025 and explains how two false Western assumptions - that China would play by WTO rules and eventually democratize - left the door wide open.The conversation covers the Tesla-to-BYD pipeline, the sale of advanced Nvidia chips, China’s hypersonic breakthroughs built on stolen stealth technology, Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon cyber intrusions embedded in critical infrastructure, and what allies like Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines are doing - or not doing - to respond. Shedd also delivers a direct simulated intelligence briefing to U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his planned Beijing summit, warning that China’s Ministry of State Security now fields over 300,000 operatives with a dedicated bureau targeting the United States.This podcast is essential listening for policymakers, business leaders, academics, and anyone concerned about the intersection of economic security, technology competition, and the future of the Indo-Pacific.👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Despite sweeping US tariffs, a landmark Supreme Court ruling, and ongoing trade policy uncertainty, businesses in Southeast Asia are holding firm. In this episode, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso sit down with retired Ambassador Brian McFeeters, President and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council, to explore what shifting US trade policies mean for companies operating across the region.Brian reveals why Southeast Asia remains a compelling destination for business investment. The region is now the world’s fourth largest economy, growing 25% faster than most other regions, with a young, digitally savvy population driving explosive growth in technology, financial services and healthcare. Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines - the “VIP” countries - are leading the charge.The conversation digs into the real impact of tariffs and the Supreme Court decision that struck them down, why non-tariff barriers like local content requirements matter more to companies than headline tariff rates, how Indonesia’s new trade agreement with the US could reshape market access, and whether Chinese competitors are gaining an edge in cloud services and infrastructure.Brian also discusses ASEAN’s promising digital economic framework agreement, which could codify free data flows across the region, and explains why Southeast Asia is seen as the most fertile ground in the world for deploying artificial intelligence - with welcoming government policies and none of the regulatory friction seen in Europe.Whether you follow trade policy, supply chain strategy, or emerging market opportunities, this episode offers a ground-level view of how business actually gets done in one of the world’s fastest-growing regions.👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

The war in Iran has sent shockwaves through global energy markets - and no region feels it more acutely than the Indo-Pacific. In this episode, co-hosts Ray Powell and Nydia Ngiow sit down with Paul Everingham, CEO of the Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association (ANGEA), who joins after spending two days at the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial in Tokyo.​With the Persian Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply and a significant share of global liquid natural gas (LNG) exports are blocked. Paul explains that 70% of Asia’s oil originates in the Middle East, meaning every country in the region is exposed. On the natural gas side, South Asian nations - India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh - face the sharpest pain, as they depend heavily on Qatari LNG, while North Asian buyers like Japan and Korea are somewhat shielded by receiving Australian and US supply.The conversation covers Qatar’s shutdown of its LNG processing facilities and why a full restart could take six months if hydrocarbons are stripped from the plants. Paul unpacks the potential role of Russian oil and gas if sanctions are eased, the limits of pipeline alternatives from Saudi Arabia, and why coal use - already at record highs - is likely to climb further in 2026 as countries seek cheaper and more abundant alternatives.​On nuclear energy, Paul is clear: it should be part of every country’s portfolio, but with a 10–20 year development timeline, it is a medium-term solution, not an immediate fix. His core advice to Indo-Pacific policymakers: diversify energy sources and lock in long-term contracts to hedge against price shocks.​The episode closes with a sobering warning: if the disruption drags on, the world faces potential rationing, surging inflation and a severe global recession.👉 Follow Paul Everingham at ANGEA and Nydia Ngiow at BowerGroupAsia.👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Thailand's February 2026 snap election produced a result almost nobody predicted. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and openly backed by the military and monarchy, won a commanding victory, defeating the reformist People's Party by over 70 seats. The once-dominant Shinawatra-linked Pheu Thai party collapsed to its worst showing ever. What happened?In this episode, Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, senior advisor for BowerGroupAsia and professor of international relations at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, breaks down how Thailand's political system works and why it seems to keep producing the same outcome lately. He explains the cycle of reform movements rising, winning elections, and then being dissolved by the courts or overthrown by military coups. After 13 coups and 20 constitutions in under a century, voter fatigue finally set in: turnout dropped to 65% and many young voters stayed home.Thitinan explores how the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict - the worst military clash between ASEAN member states in nearly 60 years - fueled nationalist sentiment that Bhumjaithai weaponized on the campaign trail. He also unpacks a striking contradiction: two-thirds of voters approved a referendum to rewrite the military-era constitution, yet handed power to the very establishment that wrote it.The conversation covers Thailand's economic challenges (92% household debt-to-GDP, stagnant growth, disruption from electric vehicles and AI), the transformation of the US-Thailand alliance from Cold War treaty to transactional trade relationship, and mainland Southeast Asia's growing "arc of instability" - from Myanmar's civil war to cross-border scam networks.Will the old guard finally deliver growth and stability, or is a reckoning on the horizon? Thitinan says the pressure is immense, and if the new government doesn't perform, the next wave of instability could be even bigger.👉 Follow Thitinan Pongsudhirak at BowerGroupAsia👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

When the U.S. recently launched strikes on Iran, the world’s attention turned to Diego Garcia, a vital military base in the Indian Ocean. Known as the “footprint of freedom,” this isolated atoll allows the U.S. to port Navy ships, resupply nuclear submarines, and launch strategic bombers. However, its future is in serious jeopardy.During the conflict, the UK initially withheld permission for the U.S. to launch strikes from the island. Beyond that, the UK has been pushing a highly controversial deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, which includes Diego Garcia, to Mauritius.In this episode, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso are joined by Cleo Paskal, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a leading expert on Chinese political warfare. Cleo unpacks the dangerous implications of the Chagos handover, warning it could allow Chinese maritime assets to operate dangerously close to U.S. forces, threatening American power projection.Cleo unpacks the uncertain prospects for the deal, and then proposes instead giving the Chagossian people a democratic vote in their future, and suggests they may very well prefer the status quo or even a U.S. affiliation to any handover to Mauritius.The conversation then pivots to the Pacific Islands, where China is quietly expanding its influence through political and gray zone warfare. Cleo details how a Chinese state-owned company secured a foothold in Yap (Federated States of Micronesia) by building a remote runway, gaining political leverage and physical presence right next to planned U.S. defense infrastructure.Cleo also sounds the alarm on the U.S. territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Located on the Second Island Chain, CNMI currently allows Chinese tourists to arrive without a visa, leading to massive local corruption, intelligence risks, and illegal maritime crossings into the highly secure military hubs of Guam.Tune in to discover why Cleo believes the transfer of Diego Garcia would be a “colossal strategic blunder,” how China is co-opting U.S. funds for its own Belt and Road projects, and why the frontline of Indo-Pacific security is much closer to home than we realize.👉 Follow Cleo Paskal at FDD, on X at @CleoPaskal, or on LinkedIn.👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

In December 2025, a four-ship People’s Liberation Army Navy task group - including an amphibious assault ship capable of carrying 1,000 Marines and 30 helicopters - tracked southeast through the Western Pacific, passing through waters near Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. Australia scrambled surveillance aircraft. Pacific Island leaders said almost nothing publicly. Most of the world barely noticed.Our guest noticed - because she was there. Ambassador Laura Stone just retired as the US Ambassador to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, capping a distinguished Foreign Service career that included multiple tours in Beijing and serving as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China. She joins hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso to explain why this naval activity matters far more than the headlines suggest.In this episode: What is China’s “second island cloud” strategy, and why does the Marshall Islands sit at its center? What is the Compact of Free Association, and why does it make the Marshall Islands far more than just a remote atoll? What is Kwajalein Atoll, and why should you Google it right now? How is China using economic influence, bribery, and Belt and Road investment to gain a foothold in the Pacific - and what’s working (and not working) in the US response? What does the gutting of USAID mean for the Pacific Islands? And what does the nuclear legacy of US atomic testing still mean for Marshallese people today?Ambassador Stone also paints a frank picture of the Marshall Islands’ future - a country losing 3–5% of its population per year to outward migration, sitting just six feet above sea level, facing an existential climate threat that Washington is no longer prioritizing.👉 Follow Ambassador Laura Stone on LinkedIn👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

On February 20th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize President Donald Trump to impose tariffs - a landmark decision that immediately scrambled U.S. trade policy and sent governments and businesses across the Indo-Pacific into a scramble to figure out what it means for them.Co-hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso are joined by two of the sharpest minds in U.S. trade and Asia-Pacific economic policy: Bill Reinsch, Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and co-host of the Trade Guys podcast, and Nydia Ngiow, Managing Director for Global Trade and Economics at BowerGroupAsia in Singapore.In Episode 132 we break down:• What IEEPA is, how it became a tariff weapon, and why the Court said “no”• Trump’s immediate Plan B - a 15% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, and why that will almost certainly be challenged in court too• What Section 301, Section 232, and other alternative trade tools mean for countries in the region - and why they may be slower, narrower, and harder to wield• Whether countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia that negotiated trade deals under the IEEPA tariff threat got a raw deal - and what happens to those agreements now• The potential for domestic political backlash against leaders seen as having made too many concessions to Washington• Why the ruling may not have handcuffed Trump as much as the headlines suggest• And what the real-world economic impact of tariffs has - and hasn’t - been over the past yearIf you follow U.S.-China trade tensions, Indo-Pacific economics and geopolitics, or global supply chains, this episode is essential listening.👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Myanmar just held its latest round of so-called elections - but the military's proxy party won over 85% of seats after banning the country's most popular opposition party and imprisoning its leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Voting couldn't even take place across large portions of the country because resistance forces control the territory. So why do these sham elections matter to the rest of the world?In this episode, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso sit down with retired three-time U.S. Ambassador and author Scot Marciel to unpack what these elections really mean, and why the stakes reach far beyond Southeast Asia.Myanmar has become the world's largest source of methamphetamines and a booming hub for cyber scam operations that bilk victims worldwide out of billions of dollars annually. China is simultaneously deepening its strategic footprint in the country, building ports and pipelines from its southern provinces to the Indian Ocean - a critical geopolitical waterway - while Chinese companies extract rare earth minerals from Myanmar's north that barely benefit the country's own people.Ambassador Marciel explains why the military held elections at all - not out of any democratic impulse, but to manufacture legitimacy and give countries like China, India, and Russia a convenient excuse to re-engage. He also breaks down why ASEAN, despite refusing to certify the results, remains largely paralyzed: constrained by its own consensus rules and non-interference norms, while watching China's influence expand with little competition.On the outlook, Marciel is candid: there is no magic bullet, no easy diplomatic compromise, and the most likely near-term scenario is more of the same - a grinding civil war fading into the background while a fatigued world looks away. But he closes with one reason for hope: the extraordinary, unbreakable resilience of the Myanmar people themselves.👉 Read Ambassador Marciel’s book, Imperfect Partners: The United States and Southeast Asia👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, on LinkedIn or on Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

In Ep. 130, Ray and Jim sit down with Clive Hamilton, one of the world's leading experts on Chinese Communist Party political influence operations. Hamilton is the author of the groundbreaking books Silent Invasion: China's Influence in Australia and Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party Is Reshaping the World.In this compelling podcast, Hamilton shares the dramatic story behind Silent Invasion - a book so controversial that three major Australian publishers rejected it for fear of Beijing's retaliation. He reveals the personal costs of exposing CCP interference, from cyber-attacks that destroyed his laptop to being banned from China and labeled a "black hand" by Beijing's official media.Hamilton breaks down how the CCP's United Front Work Department orchestrates political warfare through elite capture, diaspora mobilization, and covert influence in universities, media, and politics. He explains how Australia's 2018 counter-interference laws and Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme (FITS) emerged as a democratic defense - and evaluates their real-world effectiveness, including enforcement challenges and necessary reforms.The conversation explores critical lessons for the Philippines and other Indo-Pacific nations facing similar CCP pressure, especially regarding South China Sea tensions. Hamilton offers practical advice on designing swift, effective counter-interference legislation while protecting diaspora communities from discrimination.This is essential listening for anyone interested in China’s strategy, foreign influence operations, national security, democratic resilience, and Indo-Pacific geopolitics.👉 Follow Clive Hamilton on LinkedIn👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, on LinkedIn or on Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

Japan’s February 8th snap election delivered a historic result: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured a rare two‑thirds supermajority in the powerful lower house, giving her the strongest mandate any postwar leader has enjoyed to date. That will sharply increase what she can do on economic policy, defense readiness, and how Japan responds to pressures from both the US and China.​Jake Schlesinger - President and CEO of the US‑Japan Foundation and a longtime Japan-watcher - joins the show to explain why this election was a potential turning point in a political system often seen as stable to the point of stagnation. He argues that while Japan’s politics have frequently been defined by weak and short-lived prime ministers and cautious consensus, this vote creates the conditions for unusually decisive leadership.Schlesinger describes an electorate focused less on the LDP’s history of political ethics controversies and more on daily economic pressure combined with a sense that Takaichi herself represents a fresh face. The episode unpacks how Japanese voters can be skeptical about big fiscal promises while still rewarding the leader who seems most willing to speak directly to pocketbook issues like inflation, wages, and household strain.The conversation shifts to geopolitics, as Schlesinger highlights how China’s recent threats and coercive signaling appeared to backfire, strengthening public support for a leader who stands up rather than backing down. He frames this as a meaningful change in Japan’s public mood: a country once inclined to avoid antagonizing neighbors is increasingly prepared to accept friction if it’s tied to national security - particularly around Taiwan, a Chinese invasion of which Takaichi has warned would pose an existential crisis for Japan.The episode also examines what this election mandate could mean for the US‑Japan alliance. While people-to-people ties remain strong, Schlesinger notes that Tokyo is navigating a complex era of “America-First” politics - simultaneously hugging the US closer while hedging its bets with other regional partners like Australia, India, the Philippines, and South Korea. Finally, the discussion touches on constitutional constraints on Japan’s military and whether this supermajority could finally open the door to a formal revision.👉 Learn more about the US-Japan Foundation at its web site, on LinkedIn, on X at @usjf_ or on Facebook 👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific

In this powerful episode, Ray Powell and Jim Carouso sit down with Yaqiu Wang, a leading human rights advocate and fellow at the University of Chicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. Born and raised in China, Wang offers a rare, insider perspective on what it really means to live under Xi Jinping’s surveillance state - and why the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) domestic repression is no longer just a “China problem,” but a direct threat to global freedom and Indo-Pacific security.Most Westerners assume Chinese citizens have struck a “grand bargain” - trading freedom for economic prosperity. Wang dismantles this myth, revealing a population that never agreed to this trade-off but is coerced into silence by a sophisticated apparatus of fear. She explains how the CCP exports its model of digital authoritarianism to countries across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, embedding surveillance tools into “smart city” projects that threaten democratic norms worldwide.Key Topics Discussed:The Surveillance State: Wang describes the psychological toll of living in a society where every digital interaction is monitored, leading to deep-seated self-censorship that follows Chinese citizens even after they emigrate to the West.The WeChat Trap: Discover how the “super app” WeChat functions as a Trojan horse for CCP influence, effectively holding the Chinese diaspora hostage by controlling their primary news source and connection to family back home.Xinjiang & Human Rights: An in-depth look at the mass internment of Uyghurs, the predictive policing algorithms that flag innocent behaviors (like buying gym weights) as terrorist threats, and the heartbreak of watching the U.S. retreat from its role as a global champion of human rights.Transnational Repression: How Beijing’s reach extends far beyond its borders, harassing dissidents on foreign soil and pressuring foreign governments to silence critics.Tune in to understand why the fight for human rights in China is inextricably linked to the national security of the United States and its allies.About the Guest:Yaqiu is a prominent researcher and activist who previously led China research at Human Rights Watch and Freedom House. She has testified before the U.S. Congress on issues ranging from internet censorship to women’s rights and continues to be a vocal advocate for the Chinese people despite personal risks.👉 Learn more about Yaqiu’s work on her web site👉 Follow us on X, @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, or Facebook👉 Follow Ray Powell on X, @GordianKnotRay, or LinkedIn, or check out his maritime transparency work at SeaLight👉 Follow Jim Carouso on LinkedIn👉 Sponsored by BowerGroupAsia, a strategic advisory firm that specializes in the Indo-Pacific