DPG Indo-Pacific Monitor
Indo-Pacific Monitor
Authors Commodore Lalit Kapur (Retd.)
Date: July 01, 2025
Two multilateral summits of global importance were held during the month. Leaders of the G7 met at Kananaskis, Canada, from June 16-17 for the 51st G7 Summit. The leaders of India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and Ukraine also attended the outreach session. Leaders of NATO countries came together for the 34th NATO Summit at the Hague from June 24-25 and agreed to invest 5% of their GDP annually on core defence requirements by 2035. Leaders of the Indo-Pacific Four countries (AP4) were invited to attend the NATO Summit, but chose to send representatives.
India-Canada relations made progress, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meeting his counterpart, Mark Carney, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit on June 17. The two countries agreed to restore High Commissioners to their respective capitals and resume regular consular services.
Early general elections held in South Korea on June 03, which followed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, resulted in the Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung being elected President and assuming office on June 04.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke with South Korea’s President Lee Jae-Myung on June 09. The leaders expressed their intention to move bilateral relations forward, recognising that Japan-ROK coordination, as well as trilateral cooperation with the US, is increasingly important in a severe regional strategic environment.
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at St. Petersburg on June 19 and concluded a strategic partnership between the two nations. The Singapore Prime Minister met China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing on June 24 and reaffirmed Singapore’s strong friendship with China.
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles visited India from June 03-04 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the countries. He also visited the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
It was reported on June 11 that the Pentagon has launched a review of the 2021 AUKUS agreement. The 30-day review is led by the US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, Elbridge Colby, and focuses on various aspects of the nuclear submarine deal involving Australia, the UK and the US.
On June 21, Japan was said to have postponed the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting scheduled with the US for July 01. The action followed a demand from the US that Japan increase its defence spending to 3.5% of the GDP, and suggestions that the 5% benchmark for NATO allies would apply to Japan as well.
Japan tested a new hypersonic missile, as well as a Type 12 surface-to-surface missile with range increased from 200 to 1000 Km, during its annual Fuji firepower exercise on June 08. China described the test as a breach of Japan’s pacifist constitution.
China’s Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carrier strike groups operated in the Philippine Sea from June 09-21, marking the first time the two had been deployed together in the Western Pacific.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Spey carried out a Taiwan Strait transit on June 18.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group transited through the Indian Ocean during the month. The group exercised with the Indian Navy off the West Coast of India from June 9-10 and entered Singapore on June 23.
Indonesia signed an MoU to purchase 48 Turkish fifth generation KAAN fighter aircraft on June 11. It also expressed interest in acquiring the Italian aircraft carrier Guiseppe Gabribaldi on June 21.
INS Arnala, the first of India’s new generation of shallow water ASW craft, was commissioned on June 18.
These and other developments are covered in this Indo-Pacific Monitor Vol. VI, Issue 6. To read about them, please see the PDF attached.
India-Canada relations made progress, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meeting his counterpart, Mark Carney, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit on June 17. The two countries agreed to restore High Commissioners to their respective capitals and resume regular consular services.
Early general elections held in South Korea on June 03, which followed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, resulted in the Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung being elected President and assuming office on June 04.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke with South Korea’s President Lee Jae-Myung on June 09. The leaders expressed their intention to move bilateral relations forward, recognising that Japan-ROK coordination, as well as trilateral cooperation with the US, is increasingly important in a severe regional strategic environment.
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at St. Petersburg on June 19 and concluded a strategic partnership between the two nations. The Singapore Prime Minister met China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing on June 24 and reaffirmed Singapore’s strong friendship with China.
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles visited India from June 03-04 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the countries. He also visited the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
It was reported on June 11 that the Pentagon has launched a review of the 2021 AUKUS agreement. The 30-day review is led by the US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, Elbridge Colby, and focuses on various aspects of the nuclear submarine deal involving Australia, the UK and the US.
On June 21, Japan was said to have postponed the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting scheduled with the US for July 01. The action followed a demand from the US that Japan increase its defence spending to 3.5% of the GDP, and suggestions that the 5% benchmark for NATO allies would apply to Japan as well.
Japan tested a new hypersonic missile, as well as a Type 12 surface-to-surface missile with range increased from 200 to 1000 Km, during its annual Fuji firepower exercise on June 08. China described the test as a breach of Japan’s pacifist constitution.
China’s Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carrier strike groups operated in the Philippine Sea from June 09-21, marking the first time the two had been deployed together in the Western Pacific.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Spey carried out a Taiwan Strait transit on June 18.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group transited through the Indian Ocean during the month. The group exercised with the Indian Navy off the West Coast of India from June 9-10 and entered Singapore on June 23.
Indonesia signed an MoU to purchase 48 Turkish fifth generation KAAN fighter aircraft on June 11. It also expressed interest in acquiring the Italian aircraft carrier Guiseppe Gabribaldi on June 21.
INS Arnala, the first of India’s new generation of shallow water ASW craft, was commissioned on June 18.
These and other developments are covered in this Indo-Pacific Monitor Vol. VI, Issue 6. To read about them, please see the PDF attached.
