<ul>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>The notion of ‘Indo-Pacific’ has assumed a new rallying point for major stake holders- the US, China, Japan, India, Australia, ASEAN and others to articulate their strategic postures.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>‘Indo-Pacific’ has emerged as the hub of global trade and energy supply.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>The two-third container trade of the world passes through this region. The two rising economies- India and China and Japan are dependent on Indo-Pacific sea routes for their trade and energy supply.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>The region is also the home of more than 50 percent of the global population and rich in mineral and marine resources.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>It is rich in natural resources, especially hydrocarbons which fuel the industrial engines of the world’s economies.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>The region consists of many of the world’s vital choke points for global commerce, including the Straits of Malacca which is very critical for the growth of world economy.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>The boom in port construction has only heightened the strategic significance of the Indo-Pacific and this in turn is likely to generate greater commercial traffic and the possibility for greater strategic competition</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>The increasing flow of raw materials, oil and gas into the region has led to the rise of Asia.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-bottom:13px; margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:black”>Labour, capital and consumer goods are also increasingly flowing from Asia to other regions of the world</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>