Pol Eco

MIDDLE POWERS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC:
The Bilateral-Multilateral Nexus in Korea-ASEAN-Australia Partnership
Raphael Francis P. Pacheco – PSC32

Sir. Jumel Estrañero – Political Economy (C-PSCR314)
CRITIQUE PAPER
I. Introduction
The webinar organizer Theo Mendez – Ph.D. student of the University of Melbourne, along with
Jay Song - Director of Korean Studies at the University of Melbourne, introduced speaker Dr.
Chiew Ping Hoo, a senior lecturer in strategic studies and international relations at the National
University of Malaysia. The lecture as a whole seeks to expound on how Korea and Australia
engage with Southeast Asia as middle powers and is divided into seven topics:
(1) The Concept of Middle Power; (2) Australia and South Korea as Traditional and New Middle
Powers & their Bilateral Relations; (3) ASEAN as a Middle Power; (4) Australia-ASEAN
Partnership; (5) ROK-ASEAN Partnership; (6) The Bilateral-Multilateral Nexus of Korea-
ASEAN-Australia Partnership; (7) Opportunities, Challenges, & Prospects in the Indo-Pacific Era.
II. Summary
The concept of Middle power stated by Giovanni Botero in the late 1600s, “has sufficient strength
and authority to stand on its own without the need of help from others”. Eventually, it was defined
as “Those which by reason of their size, their material resources, their willingness and ability to
accept responsibility, their influence and stability are close to being great powers”. There were
three waves in which middlepowerdom was exercised. The 1st wave is just after the 2nd world war
when a cluster of secondary powers, alongside a range of Western European states, attempted to
carve out a new upgraded position based on a functional logic such as Australia and Canada. They
are the middle powers that advocate for types of values that are more familiar to the western
audience. The 2nd Wave is during the post-Cold war period wherein a group of middle powers,
some freshly independent, played more important entrepreneur or commercial roles, coinciding
with waves of globalization and industrialization such as South Korea, South Africa, and
Indonesia. The 3rd Wave was the post-2008 financial crisis era wherein different forms of middle
power coalition further defined the material capability of middle powers such as G20, BRICS,
MIKTA, etc.
As for Australia and South Korea as middle powers in the ind-pacific, the lecturer explained
similarities between the two such as having their interconnectedness with great powers such as the
US as their formal ally and China as their main trading partner. The main difference, however, is
that Australia is more security-oriented while South Korea is more economy-oriented in the indo-
pacific region. Furthermore, the speaker introduced the ASEAN region as a middle power that is
determined to be a platform of institutional multilateralism agreeing on consensus-based
regionalism and has a binding mechanism with major powers. Thus, it is only right to see ASEAN
as a middle power of its own,
The Australia-ASEAN partnership started in 1974 and has gone through many rounds of
challenges, especially with the changes in the region. However, the bilateral trade between the two
regions has grown to over $242 billion in 2020. Furthermore, the lecturer discussed trade between
Australia and ASEAN with Australia importing finished products while exporting raw materials.
Furthermore, Australia has shown support for ASEAN’s economic, socio-cultural, and political-
security programs from the past up to the present decade.
South Korea-ASEAN partnership started in 1989. ASEAN quickly became South Korea’s 2nd
largest trading partner. Alongside trade, there have been multilateral platforms between the two
which gives place to dialogue mechanisms. Additionally, ASEAN’s middle power is defined by
bridging, coalition coordination, and norm diffusing. It is used in terms of the Indo-Pacific
connectivity combining South Korea, ASEAN, and Australia.
In terms of Opportunities, Challenges, & Prospects in the Indo-Pacific Era, the three major
conundrums that have to face together is the US-China power competition with geopolitical and
geo-economic effect such as diverging supply chain. Another is the North Korean conundrum with
its nuclear missile provocation and its human rights situation. Thus, the nexus can work for
different risk assessments; converging opportunities and interests; shifting domestic leadership;
long-term statecraft; disruptions from external stimulants.
III. Conclusion
ASEAN as a regional organization is determined to be a platform of institutional multilateralism
in collaboration with major powers as an economy-boosting and regions that are open for
diplomatic dealings. As discussed, the ASEAN region exercises its middle power by being the
“middleman”, coordinating with ROK and Australia in bringing about economic and political
development in the indo-pacific region. Multilateral relations between the three are encouraged to
further strengthen the influence of the region on the world stage. Such strengthening of relations
is already present as partnership projects and trades between regions are continuous. The relevance
of the webinar is that it provides awareness of such partnership which all in all accelerates the
region’s adaptationtion to the fast-phased globalization along with the impending issues of our
world today.

Pol Eco

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pol Eco

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pol Eco

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MIDDLE POWERS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC:

The Bilateral-Multilateral Nexus in Korea-ASEAN-Australia Partnership

Raphael Francis P. Pacheco – PSC32

You might also like