Southeast Asia is at the nexus of the Indo-Pacific region, not just geographically but in increasingly economic, trade and security terms. What happens in this vibrant and diverse region, which sees itself as the custodian of Indo-Pacific architecture and norms, matters to Australia.

Coinciding with the Australia–ASEAN Special Summit in Melbourne, on Wednesday 6 March, Asia Society Australia will host four experts from Southeast Asia to share their views on the region’s strategic outlook in 2024 and what this means for both Australia and ASEAN.

After initial remarks, we’ll turn to our participants from Australia’s business, policy and academic circles for a lively Q&A and deeper analysis on Australia and Southeast Asia’s shared future.

Date: Wednesday 6th March
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.         
Venue: Asia Society Australia, Level 2, Building 8, RMIT University. 368-374 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC 3000

This roundtable by discussion is by invitation only and registration is essential. For any enquiries, please contact [email protected]

About our Speakers

Dr Natalie Sambhi, Senior Policy Fellow, Asia Society Australia

Natalie Sambhi is a Senior Policy Fellow with Asia Society Australia. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Verve Research, an independent think tank focussed on Southeast Asia, and a Non-resident Fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Program. Natalie holds a BA (Asian Studies) (Hons) from the University of Western Australia, a MA (International Relations) and Master of Diplomacy from the Australian National University, and a PhD from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the Australian National University on the Indonesian military’s history.

Since 2022, Natalie has worked as an academic with Deakin University, convening modules for the Australian War College’s Defence and Strategic Studies Course (DSSC) and Australian Command and Staff Course (ACSC). She has previously worked as a Research Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre, as an Analyst and Managing Editor of ASPI’s blog, The Strategist, at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), the Australian Department of Defence, University of Canberra and for the academic journal Asian-Pacific Economic Literature. In May 2014 and in January 2016, Natalie was a Visiting Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) in Washington, DC.

Natalie has been a guest lecturer and presenter at the Australian National University, Australian National Security College, Australian War College, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Indonesian National Resilience Institute (LEMHANNAS), Indonesian Defense University, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canadian Department of National Defence and several international think tanks and universities. Her writing has appeared in the National Bureau of Asian Research, Security Challenges journal, South China Morning Post, War On The Rocks, The Diplomat, The Interpreter and The National Interest.

Natalie has previously been involved with the Australian Institute of International Affairs ACT; the US-based Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) and was a founding member of ASPI’s Women in Defence and Security Network (WDSN).

Dr Bich Tran, Postdoctoral Fellow, National University of Singapore

Bich Tran is a postdoctoral fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. In addition to being an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., she has been a visiting fellow at the East West Center, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS-Asia), and ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, among others. Dr. Tran obtained her PhD in political science from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Her research interests include Vietnam’s grand strategy, Southeast Asian states’ relations with major powers, and political leadership. She has published on various platforms, including Asia Pacific Issues, Asian Perspective, Asian Politics & Policy, The Diplomat, East Asia Forum, and Fulcrum. Dr. Tran is the author of “Vietnam's Strategic Adjustments and US Policy” (Survival 64, no. 6, 77–90).

Dr Hoo Chiew-Ping, Senior Fellow, East Asian International Relations (EAIR) Caucus

Dr. Hoo Chiew-Ping is Senior Lecturer in the Strategic Studies and International Relations Program at the National University of Malaysia (UKM). She is concurrently co-founder and co-convener of the East Asia and International Relations (EAIR) Caucus at UKM. She was 2017 Shangri-la Dialogue’s Southeast Asian Young Leaders Programme (SEAYLP) Associate Research Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS-Asia). Chiew-Ping was also Korea Foundation Field Research Fellow at Seoul National University in 2010, and Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) research fellow in 2011. Her main research interests include South Korean foreign policy, North Korean provocations, IR theory, and Korea-Southeast Asia relations. She is currently leading a Korea Foundation-funded project on Southeast Asia-North Korea relations, examining the security-economic linkages and strategic uncertainties of North Korean security challenges in the region. Dr. Hoo is consulted by Malaysian and international media on Korean security issues which appear in English and Mandarin mediums, including BBC News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, South China Morning Post, China Review, Sin Chew Daily, among others.

Thomas Daniel, Senior Fellow, Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Thomas is a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy and Security Studies programme. His interests lie in the strategic-security challenges of Southeast Asia, including the impacts of major power dynamics on Asean. Within this, he looks mainly at South China Sea dispute, political-security cohesion within Asean and Malaysia’s security and foreign policies. Thomas also focuses on government policies (or lack thereof) to refugees, asylum seekers and other displaced people in Malaysia. He writes and speaks of these issues in local and regional forums and has commented on them in local and international media.

Thomas holds an MA (International Studies) from the University of Nottingham (Malaysia), a BA in Communication and Media Management, and a BA (hons) in Communication, Media & Culture from the University of South Australia. He was a public relations practitioner focusing on media engagement strategies for government and enterprise-technology agencies.

Asia Society Australia acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government