ASPICanberra 93d ago

On 26 March, ASPI and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) hosted a public panel event exploring how China is deploying maritime coercion in the Indo-Pacific, how open-source methods can be used to uncover Beijing’s activities and strategies for Australia’s response. During the event, C4ADS demonstrated how its analysts used open-source information to trace the ownership networks of two vessels accused of cutting Taiwanese subsea cables in early 2025, revealing a sprawling illicit civilian fleet that may be weaponised for coercive means at a moment’s notice. This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Andrew Boling, Lead Analyst at C4ADS; Professor Douglas Guilfoyle, Professor of International Law and Security, UNSW Canberra; Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Professor of Practice, University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute; Dr Raji Pillai Rajagopalan, ASPI Resident Senior Fellow; and David Wroe, ASPI Resident Senior Fellow.