Category Program

Italy’s Defence Industry Pivot: Building Indo-Pacific Influence Through Naval Partnerships and Industrial Cooperation

Italy Defence Diplomacy Indo-Pacific Strategy

Italy is reshaping its Indo-Pacific presence through defence industrial partnerships rather than permanent military deployment. Companies like Fincantieri and Leonardo are establishing strategic footholds in Southeast Asia, exemplified by the Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier transfer to Indonesia and naval modernization partnerships with Malaysia.

Ten Years On: How the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award Reshaped Maritime Law in the Indo-Pacific

2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award: 10 Years Later

Ten years after the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award, the tribunal's clarification of UNCLOS maritime entitlements has fundamentally reshaped how regional states justify maritime claims. Despite China's formal rejection, Beijing has gradually realigned its legal arguments with the award's standards, while the Philippines, Vietnam, and other claimants have actively incorporated the tribunal's principles into domestic law and diplomacy.