On 27 August, HCSS researchers Tim Sweijs, Benedetta Girardi and Hans Horan travelled to Jakarta for a closed-door workshop on Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI), hosted by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta and organised together with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The workshop, Critical Undersea Infrastructure: Exploring Cooperation Opportunities between Southeast Asia and Europe, brought together policymakers, experts, academics and other relevant stakeholders from Indonesia, Southeast Asia and Europe to exchange perspectives on the growing strategic importance of undersea infrastructure.
Submarine cables, pipelines and offshore energy connections are essential to modern economies and societies, while also becoming increasingly exposed to a changing range of risks. The workshop explored the evolving threat landscape, including accidental damage, natural hazards, cyber risks, sabotage and hybrid activities, as well as differences in threat perceptions and priorities between Southeast Asia and Europe.
Across two sessions, participants discussed approaches to strengthening the resilience of critical undersea infrastructure in Indonesia, Southeast Asia, the Netherlands and Europe. The discussions also focused on the challenges that remain, from institutional and legal frameworks to technological and operational capabilities, and on the lessons that the regions can learn from one another.
A key focus of the workshop was identifying opportunities for future cooperation. Participants considered a range of possible formats, including bilateral and mini-lateral cooperation, ASEAN–EU engagement, and public-private partnerships.
The workshop highlighted the value of closer dialogue between Indonesia, the Netherlands and their European and Southeast Asian partners on an issue that is increasingly important to economic security, connectivity and resilience.
HCSS is grateful to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta for hosting the workshop and to CSIS for the close cooperation and co-moderation. The discussions provided an important opportunity to deepen mutual understanding and explore practical avenues for strengthening cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands on critical undersea infrastructure.
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