BIDEN SHOULD SEEK A NEW

'ASIA REBALANCE' POLICY

The course here is a great strategy
to get an edge over others.
Can be finished in 12-13 Days.
 INTRODUCTION
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the U.S. on Jan. 20

In his inaugural speech he mentioned Foreign policy in the end and

focused on domestic issues such as democracy, racial discrimination
and the gap between the rich and the poor.
 US PRESIDENTS ON FOREIGN POLICY
Since the end of World War II, The new president of the superpower
(US) occasionally showed an excessive taste for intervention in other
countries of Asia and Middle east.

However Biden talked very little about international issues, and did
not mention China in the entire speech and this led to mixed
reactions form the world
 CHINA’S REACTION
The Global Times said Biden's vision is closer to reality than Trump’s.

It added that he is more rational than Trump, who attributed a large

number of U.S. domestic problems to external factors.

Further it added, “If both the US and China focus on doing their own
things well and stop fighting against each other, the two countries
will move forward based on their existing foundations,” and China is
expecting a soft stance from Joe Biden
 CONTRARY REACTION
Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the U.S. attended the inauguration
as an official guest for the first time since Washington broke off ties
with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979.

It showed a continuation of the tough stance on China. It is further

backed by the new Secretary of State
 TONY BLINKEN REACTION
Tony Blinken, Biden's nominee for secretary of state, said at his
Senate confirmation hearing that he would take a tough stance on
China, which he called "the top priority."

Blinken said that although he had disagreed with Trump in many

cases, the former president's "tougher approach to China" was
"right.“
 ABOUT NEW SECRETARY OF STATE
Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American government
official and diplomat serving as the 71st and current United States
secretary of state.

During his tenure in the Obama administration, he helped craft U.S.

policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran.
Deputy National Security Advisor 2013 to 2015
Deputy Secretary of State 2015 to 2017 under President Barack
Obama
 THUS, WHILE THE NEW U.S. ADMINISTRATION IS SEEN
AS MORE RATIONAL THAN ITS PREDECESSOR, ITS TOUGH
STANCE ON CHINA IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE.
 SOUTH EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES ON US-CHINA
According to a recent report by Malcolm Cook and Ian Storey of the
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based think tank

Southeast Asian countries have been worried by the downward

spiral in U.S.-China relations and the potentially unjust choices it
imposes on them
 HOWEVER, THEY DO NOT WANT A RETURN TO THE
OBAMA-ERA APPROACH TO CHINA WHICH WAS
GENERALLY PERCEIVED AS BEING WEAK AND
INEFFECTIVE.

In short, most Southeast Asians do not want America to be either

too confrontational or too accommodating toward China.
 ASIAN GOVERNMENTS ARE THUS PAYING KEEN
ATTENTION TO KURT CAMPBELL, WHO WILL ASSUME
THE NEWLY CREATED POST OF INDO-PACIFIC
COORDINATOR AT THE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNCIL, MARKING HIS RETURN TO REGIONAL
POLICYMAKING AFTER AN EIGHT-YEAR ABSENCE.
 KURT CAMPBELL
Campbell is regarded as a top expert on Asia, having served as
deputy assistant defence secretary for Asia and the Pacific in the
administration of Bill Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden

He also served as an assistant secretary of state for East Asian and

Pacific affairs under Obama.

Key Player in President Obama “ Asia Rebalance” policy

 ASIA REBALANCE POLICY
Obama's foreign policy was highlighted by the "Asia rebalance,"
which he unveiled in a speech to the Australian parliament in
November 2011, three years into his first term.

In it, Obama declared that the U.S. was a "Pacific nation" and would
shift its foreign policy focus to Asia from the Middle East.
 ASIA REBALANCE POLICY
The new approach was aimed at reasserting U.S. leadership in the
region and militarily checking a rapidly emerging China in order to
tap into Asia's rapidly growing economy.

Mr Campbell was the one who drove this policy under which the US
moved its naval deployment from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
strengthened alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and
strategic partners such as India and paved the way for Obama's
speech in Australia.
 HILLARY CLINTON STRENGTHENED IT FURTHER

In February 2009, Clinton visited Asia on her first official trip,

becoming the first secretary of state in about half a century to put
Asia at the top of the itinerary.

During her four years in that role, Clinton had more than 60
stopovers in Asian countries, representing more than a quarter of
her trips abroad.
 REBALANCE ASIA POLICY: CLAIM SUCCESSES
Under the Asia rebalance, the U.S., along with Russia, became a
formal member of the East Asia Summit during Obama's first term.

He also became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Myanmar in

2012, the year after the Southeast Asian country moved to civilian
rule.

The rebalance can thus claim some successes.

 POLICY SHIFT TOWARDS MIDDLE EAST AND
EUROPE
In Obama's second term, which began in 2013, John Kerry replaced
Clinton and Campbell retired.

As secretary of state Kerry mostly visited Europe because of various

events like

 Iran's advancing nuclear program

 The civil war in Syria
 Flood of refugees to Europe,
 WHILE SHIFTING TOWARD MIDDLE EAST AND
EUROPE, US IGNORED CHINA

After China cemented its control of Scarborough Shoal in the South

China Sea in 2012.

The U.S. failed to halt its naval build up in the area, including
construction of military facilities.

After the regime change, Trump took a tough Stance on China

 TRUMP POLICY TOWARDS CHINA
President Donald Trump took a
tough stance towards China.

Both US and China threatened each

other to impose new tariffs and
increase existing ones
PASSAGE OF UIGHURS RIGHTS BILL IN US
SANCTIONS AGAINST HONGKONG SECURITY BILL
 FORMATION OF QUAD
With the aim to check the hegemony of China in the Indo-Pacific
region.
 OVERALL TRUMP POLICY TOWARDS CHINA
Trump overall took a harsh stance towards China and tried to contain
China from all the direction

Now the question arises,

How will Campbell rewrite Washington's Asia policy?

 CAMPBELL’S VIEW
Before his appointment was reported in the media, Campbell said it
was neither realistic nor wise to try to separate China from Asia's
energetic future.

Although Indo-Pacific nations are calling for U.S. help to them

safeguard their independence.

"A better solution would be for the U.S. and its partners to persuade
China that there are benefits to a competitive but peaceful region,"
 SITUATION CHANGED IN LAST FEW YEARS

Over the past eight years, however, the decline of the U.S. and
China's rise have continued. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated
this trend.

Because the U.S. cannot return to the China policy of the Obama era,
Campbell will have to work out a new rebalancing strategy.
 SUGGESTIONS FOR NEW POLICY
Singapore's former ambassador to the U.N., Kishore Mahbubani said
"If former President Barack Obama opted for 60% cooperation and
40% competition with China

Mr. Trump essentially went for 90% competition and 10%

cooperation

President Biden can at least go for 60% competition and 40%

cooperation," said.
 HOW THE NEW POLICY SHOULD LOOK LIKE?
The United States will need to find a way to engage China to pursue
its global interests — from climate change to global economic
governance — that avoids damage to the rest of the world.

The global community needs to push China and the United States
towards settlements in multilateral settings
 REGAIN TRUST
The U.S. needs to regain ASEAN's trust, which waned during the
"lost eight years.“

Plans under consideration by the Biden administration, such as

rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, which
Trump unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of.

Participating in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

free trade deal, in which Washington has previously shown no
interest, face high protectionist hurdles the U.S.
 BALANCE BETWEEN EU AND ASIA
Europe is out of step with the Indo-Pacific approach because ‘distant
European leaders are inevitably less concerned about China’s
assertiveness than the Indo-Pacific states next door’.

‘China used last-minute concessions to successfully pull the EU into a

major bilateral investment agreement.

So balance is necessary between ASEAN and EU

 WALK THE TALK
To do it, Biden should promptly move to fill the Jakarta-based
ambassadorship to ASEAN that has long sat vacant.

In addition, the U.S. needs to show willingness to cooperate with

ASEAN-led international conferences, such as by having Biden take
part in the East Asia Summit, which Trump never attended.
 STAY TUNED…

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