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Opinion | With firm allies like Japan and Australia, the US can afford to take its eye off the Indo-Pacific when it needs to
- The US has a unique advantage over China in the region: a strong support system during times of strain or when domestic issues demand attention
- In the Indo-Pacific, Japan remains a torch-bearer protector of US strategic interests, along with Australia, with the South Asia strategy outsourced to India
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US President Joe Biden recently backed out of a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit in Australia, instead meeting Quad leaders briefly on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan. This decision was prompted by urgent debt ceiling talks in Washington. Some analysts suggest this divided attention reflects America’s reduced commitment to the Indo-Pacific – but this may be only partially true.
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Since identifying China as a major competitor, the US has indeed focused on “America first”, withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Asean region.
Policies, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Chips and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act, aim to retain a competitive edge over China in strategic defence and tech sectors, even as the US has urged its allies and partners to de-risk their supply chains away from China. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework was yet another effort, though it failed to offer its Southeast Asian members the coveted reduced-tariff access to the US market.
These actions suggest a self-focused approach that may not adequately prioritise the Indo-Pacific.
But it would be unfair to overlook Washington’s efforts to revitalise minilateral groupings, such as the Quad and Aukus alliance, and consequently the improved ties between Japan and South Korea.
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With a broad network of allies and partners, the United States has a unique advantage over China: a strong support system during times of strain or when domestic issues demand attention.
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