Reinvention and principled diplomacy — Biden on East and Southeast Asia

East and Southeast Asia might pose to be a challenge for US policy under the newly-elected Biden administration, which is slated to assume office in January 2021. Strategic ties between the US and countries like Vietnam and Thailand have improved in the last few years despite wariness regarding the US-China rivalry. There is a general sense that Washington’s policies under Biden are not expected to change much from those followed by Trump. Nonetheless, and although it seems unlikely, there is also an anticipation that bilateral and multilateral ties with Washington would find scope beyond apprehensions regarding the role of China in the region.

In East Asia, a less transactional approach is anticipated from Joe Biden which can help build a steadier relationship between the US and both Japan and South Korea. The word “reinvent” has been used several times in Biden’s campaign speeches. This new approach will be a welcome stance for both Seoul and Tokyo, where spells of pressure and instability were quite visible during the Trump era. The Biden administration promises to focus more on “principled diplomacy” as opposed to attempts at coercion that was witnessed in Trump’s insistence that South Korea pay more for US military presence. With respect to Pyongyang, it is expected that pressures to de-nuclearise would be maintained while with Seoul, the formation of a trilateral approach geared towards the restoration of its relations with Tokyo may be on the cards.

What would be crucial to note is whether there is a salving of positions taken towards China by Trump, as US policy towards China still stands to determine and impact multilateral relations and regional as well as global institutions. It would also have a bearing on East and Southeast Asia. The focus on rejuvenating alliances may be a key remit of the new foreign policy of Washington.

• US Foreign Policy
• USA and Canada
• The Pacific, East and Southeast Asia
• #BidenHarris
• North Korea
• Principled Diplomacy
• US-China

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