By Glory Mar, 16, 2021 Private

The Indo-Pacific is positioned to play a major role in U.S. foreign policy, with Asia taking the lead. The U.S. is gradually allying with Asian countries with Japan and South Korea as if two major military allies in Asia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are visiting the two Asian countries this week.

President Joe Biden met with the prime ministers of Japan, India, and Australia at the first leaders’ summit on Friday. The summit was an informal strategic alliance entitled the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad.

Angela Mancini, partner at Control said “Asia is the priority”. She further explained that last week’s Quad meeting reflected the overall diplomacy that’s happening with the current U.S. administration. The U.S. has made it clear that the Indo-Pacific region is a priority to Washington, compared to the past administration’s approach.

“In addition to shoring up alliances to potentially counter China, there are some specific bilateral issues as well to deal with,” said Mancini.

According to South Asia analyst Akhil Bery of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, the current administration is building on the framework that the previous administration left concerning forming strategic alliances with partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Indo-Pacific region is interconnected between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Although its geographical locations vary by country, it is joined in the middle by the straits Malacca in Southeast Asia.

Many experts have said that the U.S. effort to partner with this region is to try to counter China’s fast-growing economy and influence in the region. “China is feeling they’re being encircled by the U.S. … and so they are going to push back with their own investments in tech spending and their own focus in the domestic economy,” said Mancini.

Earlier this month, President Biden strengthened his foreign policy team with several experts on Asia in a bid to renew U.S.’s influence in a region where China’s influence is fast-growing.

The United States has identified China as one of its biggest foreign policy challenges. By forming a strategic alliance with other Indo-Pacific countries, the Biden administration hopes to alter Beijing’s plan to dominate the entire region.

The appointment of Kurt Campbell as the National Security Council’s Indo-Pacific affairs coordinator shows that the Biden administration is focused more on the region and seeks to strengthen its allies there.

“China policy in 2021 I think is actually going to be about ally policy,” said Scott Kennedy, senior advisor and Trustee Chair in Chinese business and economics at think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. He added that Blinken and national security advisor Sullivan and Kurt Campbell will “spend much of their time not directly engaging China, but engaging allies in Asia and Europe on China.”

Tags: Indo-Pacific Quad Asia Allies U.S. China

Share On Facebook Twitter Linkedin Whatsapp Telegram