Jagannath Panda was interviewed by the South China Morning Post on how China views defense ties between Asia-Pacific allies
October 23, 2025: Jagannath Panda, Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, was interviewed by the South China Morning Post on how China views defense ties between Asia-Pacific allies.
Jagannath Panda said that Australia had “moved well beyond” being an elementary defence partner for India and was now a “preferred and strategic defence partner in the Indo-Pacific”.
“While the partnership remains less dense than India’s ties with the US or France, it has acquired strategic depth centred on maritime domain awareness, defence technology and regional stability,” Panda said.
Referring to India’s bilateral drills with South Korea, Panda said Seoul was willing to diversify its defence partnerships beyond its traditional security alliances.
“The drill sets the foundation for broader cooperation in maritime security, defence industry collaboration – for example, tech transfer, shipbuilding – and possibly future joint logistics or supply chain arrangements,” he said.