Global impact | Joe Biden forging ahead with efforts to counter China as Donald Trump, election loom large

In this week’s issue, we take a look at the latest efforts by the Biden administration to build alliances to counter China

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US President Joe Biden with Chinese President President Xi Jinping at the Filoli Estate in Woodside, California. Photo: AP

Published: 2:00pm, 24 Jun 2024

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We’re little more than four months away from the US election, and with two wars raging and geopolitical alliances shifting, the mental acuity of the two main White House contenders has become a subject worthy of global attention.

While some point to US President Joe Biden’s gaffes, moments of confusion and persistent inconsistencies over Washington’s position with respect to the defence of Taiwan as evidence of mental decline, he has still forged ahead with efforts to strengthen partnerships and establish new ones.

Meanwhile, the possibility of a second Donald Trump administration has many US allies and partners mulling independent policies to be prepared for possible abrupt shifts in positions on the South China Sea, the Korean peninsula and Ukraine from the Oval Office, according to some analysts.

Washington’s stronger ties with India were on full display this month, when US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell went to New Delhi.

The visit underscored a deepening of bilateral ties that would not have been possible without the many strains in New Delhi’s relations with Beijing in recent years, and was followed by another visit to the country by US lawmakers that drew the Chinese government’s ire.