The U.S. is trying to bring its allies together to fight China, but they are facing a test of their divergent interests. The Wall Street Journal quoted U.S. officials as saying that the U.S. needs to adopt a strategy to involve other countries in its strategy toward China to prevent Beijing and President Xi Jinping from using “discord” between countries to expand their influence.
In the weeks since Biden took office, he has had dozens of calls with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top officials, and with counterparts in several countries, and the recurring theme of those calls has been how to deal with China.
The Wall Street Journal on March 5 quoted U.S. government officials as revealing that the Biden Administration expressed support to countries such as Japan, India and Australia. All of these countries have territorial and other disputes with China. In addition, the U.S. has tried to enlist European countries that currently view China as a major trading partner. This action has already begun to bear fruit, including an extension of the agreement on U.S. troops in Japan and a similar agreement with South Korea that is close to being reached.
But while calling on allies to cooperate in dealing with China, the Biden administration has also had to listen to the concerns of partner countries on issues other than China.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the recent coup in Burma accounted for most of his 40-minute call with Blinken. Toshimitsu Motegi said the U.S. side assured that Japanese investments in Burma would not be damaged by U.S. sanctions against Burmese generals.
An Indian official said India discussed the country’s goal of becoming a manufacturing hub, as well as the new crown Epidemic and climate change. Indian troops clashed with Chinese soldiers at the border last year.
The Biden administration official in charge of China Policy said it is necessary to consider the interests of other countries to gain their support. “We have to always keep in mind that some of our allies and partners have a lot of interests that are aligned with ours and some that are not so much.”
The official said that in recent years, China has “sought to fill the vacuum created by the absence of the United States” on the world stage, so a renewed U.S. engagement “can help counter some of the totally anti-democratic standards and values that China is trying to inject throughout the international system.”
The newspaper said that in its bid for global influence, the Biden administration is planning to compete with China on multiple levels, continuing the Trump administration’s tougher policy toward China while seeking to work with China on issues such as the new crown epidemic and climate change.
A senior U.S. official said early issues on which the United States needs to work with allies and other countries include securing next-generation 5G networks and supply chains for key commodities. In response to the current shortage of semiconductors hitting the auto industry, the U.S. appealed to Taiwan and other partners in February.
Some former U.S. officials say a challenge for the United States will be to get other governments to pull together, especially in the face of some counter-action by Beijing, and to know when to act alone.
Some European countries are emphasizing the need for foreign policy and economic independence while trying to cooperate on issues such as Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong.
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