The old but new geographical term "Indo-Pacific" is now increasingly used to replace "Asia-Pacific." In August 2016, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled his regional vision called the "free and open Indo-Pacific strategy." U.S. President Donald Trump echoed the phrase "free and open Indo-Pacific" during his first Asia tour in November and in his administration's national security strategy released in December.
Australia, which referred to the Indo-Pacific in its 2013 defense white paper, again cited the phrase in its 2017 foreign policy white paper. India's strategic community also understands the geostrategic importance of the Indo-Pacific to their country. In November, senior diplomats from Japan, Australia, India and the United States met in Manila and agreed to ensure a free and open international order in the Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law.
It remains to be seen, however, whether all these countries are closely aligned in what they see in their "Indo-Pacific strategy," in particular as to whether they view China as a "competitor."