Harshit Prajapati is a PhD student at the Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His research interests include defense and security issues in the Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asian multilateralism, and Indian foreign policy. His writings have been featured in the East Asia Forum, The Diplomat, and The National Interest, among others. He was part of the Takshashila Institution’s Network for Advanced Study on China (NASC) fellowship 2023-24.