The book ‘India and Australia: Strengthening International Cooperation Through The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative’ is a compilation of research papers written by scholars from India, ASEAN countries and Australia on strengthening international cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The book is divided into three parts, based on the three key sessions of the Australia-India Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Partnership (AIIPOIP) Conference held in Kochi, in April 2022. 

An open inclusive, resilient, prosperous, and rules-based maritime order is what the AIIPOIP seeks to support by helping to shape maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.  In pursuit of that, the AIIPOIP nurtures cooperation under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Partnership (IPOI) and links with existing regional mechanisms and arrangements including ASEAN, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). 

The Dialogue, included three technical and one plenary sessions and scholars from Australia, India and Southeast Asian countries presented papers which have been included in this volume under three sections. 

Section 1 provides an analysis of the ongoing geopolitical and geostrategic contestation in the Indo-Pacific region.  India and ASEAN are promoting their respective versions of the Indo-Pacific and there is convergence between Australia, India and the ASEAN to promote peace and stability in the Indo Pacific region. This section has papers authored by Dr. W. Lawrence S. Prabhakar , advisor to CPPR  and Dr Vo Xuan Vinh.Deputy Director General, Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS Vietnam),

Section 2 of the volume is an exposition on the challenges posed by the growing volume of marine litter and debris in the Bay of Bengal.  Thi section is enriched by papers authored by Dr. Salom Vincent  Professor and Head, in the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala,  Gerry Nagtzaam Associate Professor at Monash University, Akansha Tiwari who is a wildlife filmmaker and Dr Sali Bache from Climate work Centre , Australia.

Section 3 deals with smart ports and supply chains in the Indian Ocean. Some sea ports in the Indian Ocean are advancing to emerge as ‘Smart Ports’ and have begun to use data-driven decision-making tools to improve operational efficiency.  Capt Martin A. Sebastian former Centre Head and Senior Fellow, Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA), Malaysia, Dr R P Pradhan Associate Professor at the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, BITS Pilani,Goa, Dr Andrew D Mitchell Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University, Australia, Vandana Gyanchandani and  Dr Prashant Bhaskar and Peggy Shu-Ling Chen Associate Professors at Australian Maritime College, Australia. contributed to this section.

The final chapter is a product of the plenary session that summarises the different perspectives brought out by various scholars combined and is authored by Professor C. Joshua Thomas, Distinguished Fellow in International Relations, Centre for Public Policy Research, Kochi, India.

Finally, this volume has provided in-depth perspectives on the diverse subjects discussed during the Dialogue. Many of these are under active consideration of policy makers, high on the agenda of experts who delve deep into these issues and academics who study and teach.