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Launch of the Asia Power Index 2026
Join us for the launch of the 2026 edition of the Asia Power Index, the Lowy Institute’s annual flagship assessment of the changing distribution of power in Asia. Ranking 27 countries and territories across 131 indicators, this year’s Index finds the United States and China closer in power than at any time since 2020, as US diplomatic influence suffers its largest decline on record amid the war with Iran and an increasingly unilateral foreign policy.
Our panel of experts will unpack the Index’s key findings — from India’s growing influence and Southeast Asia’s resilience during a turbulent year, to the limits of the middle power moment, deepening cooperation among US allies, and closer alignment between China, Russia and North Korea — and discuss what they mean for Australia.
The conversation will be moderated by the Lowy Institute’s Mihai Sora and will include questions from the audience.
Featuring
Hunter Marston
Dr Hunter Marston is the Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute and Project Lead for the Asia Power Index.
Mihai Sora
Mihai Sora is Director of Research at the Lowy Institute, where he leads the Institute’s research agenda across programs spanning geopolitics and security, the Indo-Pacific, China, the United States, global economics, aid and development, and the international order.
Graham Fletcher
Graham Fletcher is Senior Fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute and a former Australian Ambassador to China.
Natalie Sambhi
Founder and Executive Director of Verve Research, an independent think tank focused on the relationship between militaries and societies in Southeast Asia.
National Press Club
16 National Circuit, Barton Canberra ACT 2600 Australia