It was not too long ago that the United States relied on the Asian Pacific to build military bases to defeat Japan towards the latter half of World War Two. The United States has always had significant involvement within the Asian Pacific, including territories in Guam and American Samoa. The Philippines was also a U.S. territory in 1946 when Truman signed a declaration agreeing to the Philippines’ demand for freedom.
The United States’ involvement in the Asia Pacific was significant, but later on, policy switching to containment during the Cold War saw the region become largely ignored outside of our involvement in the proxy conflicts in Vietnam and Korea. But now the United States is looking to re-strategize in the region amid Chinese aggression.
President Biden is looking to hold a second summit with Pacific Island Nations this week in a three-day summit. His goal; charm them and offer them deals they could not dream of with the Chinese. With the plan to tip the balance of power in favor of the United States, Washington’s new strategy might just be the trick. The President is offering infrastructure plans and money coming out to over $815 million.
This new strategy can come to serve Washington well. The Chinese are in economic turmoil and losing the trust of regional partners. The United States on the other hand is making significant gains. A recent visit to Vietnam from President Biden created a new path forward in terms of relations between the two. The United States also created a security pact with the Philippines. Now this second summit with Pacific Island nations is going to assure regional partners that the United States wants to support the region and prevent Chinese coercion.
Some parties did not attend this year’s summit, including the Solomon Islands prime minister, who tends to show more allegiance to China. But this does not change the United States’ goals. The containment policy is changing. Xi Jinping feels threatened by the United States’ recent engagement within the region. But he is outnumbered. Between India, Japan, South Korea, ASEAN, and the Asian Pacific, Xi Jinping is going to have to tread lightly in the near future if he wants to avoid diplomatic and economic isolation.
Author: Joshua Cheatham
