US will reinvigorate ties with traditional allies, says Biden
2 min read 04 Mar 2021, 10:11 AM ISTBiden said US will deepen its partnership with India and work alongside New Zealand and Asean members
PremiumThe US will reinvigorate partnerships with traditional allies and deepen ties with India, against the backdrop of Chinese and “disruptive" Russian challenges to the open international system, President Joe Biden said.
Biden listed the challenges confronting the US and the world, including those posed by China and Russia in an ‘interim national security strategic guidance’ made public overnight on Thursday.
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“China, in particular, has rapidly become more assertive. It is the only competitor potentially capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system," Biden said.
Russia, he said, “remains determined to enhance its global influence and play a disruptive role on the world stage. Both Beijing and Moscow have invested heavily in efforts meant to check US strengths and prevent us from defending our interests and allies around the world".
In view of these challenges and those posed by “regional actors" such as Iran and North Korea who continue to “pursue game-changing capabilities and technologies", as well as terrorism and violent extremism, Biden said the US would “reinvigorate and modernize our alliances and partnerships around the world".
The US will also focus on building partnerships throughout the world “because our strength is multiplied when we combine efforts to address common challenges, share costs, and widen the circle of cooperation", Biden said.
“We will deepen our partnership with India and work alongside New Zealand, as well as Singapore, Vietnam, and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, to advance shared objectives. Recognizing the ties of shared history and sacrifice, we will reinforce our partnership with Pacific Island states. We will recommit ourselves to our transatlantic partnerships, forging a strong, common agenda with the EU and the UK on the defining issues of our time," he said.
“Our democratic alliances enable us to present a common front, produce a unified vision, and pool our strength to promote high standards, establish effective international rules, and hold countries such as China to account. That is why we will reaffirm, invest in, and modernize the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and our alliances with Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, which, along with our other global alliances and partnerships, are America’s greatest strategic asset," Biden said. Responsibilities will be shared “equitably", while “encouraging them to invest in their own comparative advantages against shared current and future threats".
“There is more of less of a consensus in Washington that China is the challenge that US faces. Biden gave indications of this many times," said Harsh V. Pant, professor, international relations, at London-based King’s College. He was referring to the new US administration following the Trump government’s China policy.
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