Cyber Crossroads in the Indo-Pacific
CNAS – Center for a New American Security
“No region has more digital potential and cyber peril than the Indo-Pacific. The region is an economic powerhouse, representing 40 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) and nearly 30 percent of global trade in goods and services. The Indo-Pacific also drives two-thirds of global economic growth with half the world’s population. One reason for this economic dynamism is the Indo-Pacific’s enthusiastic embrace of technology and digitalization. No region in the world can match its rate of internet adoption and digital connectivity between people and businesses. And it has room to grow, especially in Southeast Asia, where fewer than one in five small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are digitally connected.”
“According to a 2023 report from Temasek, Google, and Bain and Company, Southeast Asia’s digital economy has grown at a 27 percent compound annual rate since 2021, far outpacing growth in the broader economy. In most countries, growth in the digital economy could outpace the broader economy anywhere from 66 percent (the Philippines) to 283 percent (Thailand), owing to a rising population, wealth, and urbanization. By 2030, Southeast Asia’s digital economy could reach up to $1 trillion in gross merchandise value. India’s digital economy alone could reach $1 trillion in the coming years.”
“However, the region’s expanding digital infrastructure also expands the attack surface for malign state-sponsored and nonstate actors…”
https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/cyber-crossroads-in-the-indo-pacific