Admiral Jayanath Colombage, Non-resident Senior Fellow of The Hong Kong Research Center for Asian Studies,  participated at the international conference titled “Rethinking Rule-Based Global Order: Middle and Small States in a Changing World” organized jointly by the Hong Kong Research Center for Asian Studies–Bangladesh Center (RCASBC) in Collaboration with Department of International Relations, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh on 13th September 2026.

The international system is undergoing a profound transformation. The post-Cold War liberal international order is increasingly challenged by great-power competition, geopolitical fragmentation, economic nationalism, technological rivalry, transnational challenges, climate change, regional conflicts, and the growing influence of emerging powers. In this evolving global landscape, middle and small powers are no longer passive actors but increasingly shape regional and global governance through diplomacy, coalition-building, multilateral engagement, and strategic balancing.

The conference aimed to foster interdisciplinary discussion of the evolving nature of global governance. It encouraged participants to examine how middle- and small-power states navigate an increasingly uncertain international environment. It aimed to generate innovative ideas, promote scholarly collaboration, and drive policy debates on the future of international cooperation.

Admiral Colombage delivered the key note address titled “Maritime Security and Regional Stability in the Indian Ocean: Challenges and Opportunities in a Changing Global Order”. Admiral highlighted that the Indian Ocean is entering a new strategic era. The balance of power is changing. Great-power competition is intensifying. New technologies are transforming warfare and maritime governance. Climate change is creating new vulnerabilities. Non-traditional threats are becoming more complex and the economic importance of maritime connectivity is increasing. 

He emphasized that in order to become a region where competition is managed, cooperation is institutionalised, and smaller powers exercise meaningful strategic agency the region requires to recognise that maritime security is a shared responsibility. It requires major powers to exercise strategic restraint. It requires regional powers to provide responsible leadership. It requires middle and small states to become more active participants rather than passive observers and it requires stronger institutions capable of translating shared interests into practical cooperation.

Admiral Colombage stressed that the Indian Ocean has historically been a bridge between civilisations and in the 21st Century, it should also become a bridge between competing geopolitical interests.