In recent years, Australia, Japan and India have been active proponents of the Indo-Pacific regional concept. They share an outlook regarding the future of regional order, which emphasises free, open, inclusive and rules-based principles for governance. 

This report discusses how their shared outlooks, differences in national interests – particularly in the economic and security spheres – place limits on how far trilateral cooperation can advance.

The report demonstrates that the governments of Australia, Japan and India began functioning as a semi-formal, mini-lateral coalition from around 2008, and have already made several important contributions to Indo-Pacific order. But despite shared outlooks, differences in their specific national interests – particularly in the economic and security spheres – place definitive limits on how far trilateral cooperation can advance. It argues that the future of the AJI coalition rests in collaborative and bottom-up diplomacy to build consensus around principles and norms. This should leverage existing institutions and processes to amplify collective voice in an era when the Indo-Pacific is riven by great power conflict.