Frances Adamson: policymakers face ‘immensely challenging period’ in Indo-Pacific By Shannon Jenkins Wednesday April 21, 2021 Frances Adamson (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) Australia’s regional engagement must evolve so it can support its Southeast Asian partners to address the impacts of geostrategic competition and foster stability in the region, according to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson. At an event hosted by the Asia Society Australia on Wednesday, Adamson noted that new challenges are emerging for Australia and the wider region. “Australian leaders and policymakers are navigating a new and immensely challenging period in the Indo-Pacific,” she said. “Geostrategic competition between major powers has many dimensions, but it is focused, increasingly, on the stability and character of the regional order in the Indo-Pacific. Pressure on rules, norms and institutions is more acute, and tensions over territorial claims are escalating.