The White House has unveiled a new Indo-Pacific strategy of the United States
US President Joseph Biden has unveiled a new US strategy for the Indo-Pacific Region (ITR). As a representative of the US administration stated at a special briefing for journalists dedicated to the publication of the strategy, the main idea of the document is that "no other region will have such a key importance for the United States in the future, and America's security and prosperity depend significantly on the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region."
At the same time, the document itself emphasizes that "the increasing attention from America is partly due to the fact that the IT is facing ever greater challenges, especially from the PRC. China combines its economic, diplomatic, military and technological might in an effort to create its own sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific region, and also strives to become the most influential power in the world," the strategy published by the White House states.
"Our collective efforts in the next decade will determine whether China will be able to remake the rules and regulations that have benefited the IT industry and the whole world. Our task is not to change China, but to change the strategic environment in which it operates, creating a balance of influence in the world that is most beneficial to the United States, our allies and partners, as well as the interests and values that we share," the American strategy says.
At the same time, it is noteworthy that the document draws attention to the fact that Washington will strive to work together with Beijing in those areas where it is beneficial for the national interests of the United States.
Indo-Pacific vector
The Biden-Harris administration has made historic strides in restoring American leadership in IT and adapting its role to the 21st century. In 2021, the United States upgraded its alliances, strengthened new partnerships and established links between them to solve urgent problems - from competition with China to climate change and the pandemic. This was done at a time when allies and partners around the world are increasingly expanding their own participation in IT.
The strategy under consideration describes President Biden's desire to more firmly consolidate the United States in the ITR. Its focus is on sustainable and creative collaboration with allies, partners and institutions in the region and beyond. It is noted that the alliances, organizations and rules that the United States and its partners have helped to create must be adapted. In particular, it is planned to build up collective potential in the region and beyond, including by:
- Deepening of five regional treaty alliances with Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Thailand;
- Strengthening relations with leading regional partners, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Pacific Islands;
- promoting the expansion of ASEAN's capabilities;
- supporting India's continued growth and regional leadership;
- Strengthening ties between the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions;
- Expansion of the US diplomatic presence in the ITR, especially in Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands.
With the help of the new strategy, further economic stimulation of the Indo-Pacific region is expected, including:
- development of new approaches to trade that meet the high labor and environmental standards of IT;
- management of digital economies and cross-border data flows of the USA and IT in accordance with the principles of the digital economy;
- promotion of secure supply chains;
- Promotion of free trade through the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2023.
In order to strengthen the security system of the Indo-Pacific region, it is planned to use a full range of tools to deter aggression and counter coercion, including by:
- promoting integrated deterrence;
- deepening cooperation and increasing interoperability with allies and partners (Japan, South Korea);
- Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait;
- introducing innovations to work in the face of rapidly changing threats in the space and cyberspace, as well as critical and new technological areas;
- strengthening deterrence and coordination with South Korean and Japanese allies, carrying out the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula;
- continuation of interaction within the framework of the AUKUS format;
- development of forces and means assigned to the Coast Guard (BOHR) USA;
- Working with the U.S. Congress to fund the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and the Maritime Security Initiative.
China's Underwater Diplomacy
The new American strategy draws attention to the fact that China is actively using sub-sales to provide access to a growing number of ports and naval facilities in the ITR. China has already moved to export submarines to IT countries in accordance with a concept that gives Beijing access to a growing number of port facilities. In this regard, the United States and its allies are making coordinated efforts to limit China's influence in this area.
For example, China's delivery of two submarines to Thailand (currently under construction in the Chinese city of Wuhan) may never reach the kingdom, because Germany refuses to sell the corresponding engines to China, since the boats will be sold to a third country. In addition to export restrictions, the real reason may be that Germany, as well as Thailand, are increasingly wary of the emerging new type of "underwater diplomacy" of China.
In 2017, China created its first and so far only military base abroad - a logistics support point (PMTO) Chinese Navy in Djibouti (Horn of Africa). This has caused widespread rumors that Beijing is building a "String of Pearls," as some researchers have called it, consisting of a chain of military facilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
However, it is now becoming obvious that China has a more subtle approach to expanding its influence in the region: the sale of submarines to the IT countries, simultaneously accompanied by training of the crews of the host countries. In addition, Chinese engineers provide long warranty periods for servicing submarines.
If tensions between China and regional rivals such as the United States and India escalate, Beijing may well gain access to foreign military bases without having to set up its own. Such processes are already taking place to one degree or another in Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Thailand.
In Cambodia, China is financing and helping to modernize the Ream Naval base near the port of Sihanoukville. In July 2019, the Wall Street Journal reported that official Phnom Penh and Beijing signed a closed agreement giving China access to Ream in exchange for the construction of new infrastructure on the territory of the base. The publication quotes unnamed US officials who claimed to have seen an early draft agreement allowing access to Chinese military personnel, weapons and military equipment (including surface and submarines) for 30 years with automatic renewal every 10 years after that.
The pearl of the aforementioned "String of Pearls" is the port of Gwadar in Pakistan, located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, near the trade routes between China and Africa, the Middle East and Djibouti, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. It is under the administrative control of the Maritime Minister of Pakistan and the operational management of China Overseas Port Holding Company. The port is a key component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key link of the Chinese geo-economic strategy "One Belt and One Road".
In June 2020, satellite images showed that several new complexes had been built in Gwadar. The increased security around the port facilities gives reason to believe that a naval base is currently being built there. In December 2021, the national security adviser to the President of Pakistan, Moid Yusuf, denied allegations that his country had allowed China to deploy a military base in Gwadar. On the other hand, such an object should not be officially under the jurisdiction of Beijing, but should rather comply with the principles of its underwater diplomacy. In addition, in accordance with the principles of its military doctrine, China is not looking for permanent military bases, but rather a logistics network that could support its fleet in the Indian Ocean and beyond. Thus, China's seemingly generous offers for the sale of submarines, the training of their crews, as well as the maintenance of equipment are well-founded.
Russia's role in ITR
At the presentation ceremony of the new strategy, it was stated that the new US strategy for the Pacific and Indian Oceans regions does not directly affect Russia. "This does not concern Russia directly. This concerns the solid concept of our interaction with the region as a whole. Nevertheless, we believe that the basic principles we have formulated concerning freedom of choice and the ability of countries to chart their own path of development are most directly related to the current security situation between Moscow and Washington. And they reflect the long-standing views of the United States, as well as the importance that we attach to working in a spirit of cooperation with close partners, helping the region strengthen its resilience," the doctrinal document says. Thus, the new strategy indicates the desire of the United States to strengthen cooperation with the EU and individual European countries in the regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
According to the information set out in the document, the strategy also reflects the "desire of the United States to change some regional structures", trying to expand the role of such structures as Quad and AUKUS, including by possibly increasing the membership of the latter bloc, as previously signaled by the White House.
Thus, the goal of the new Indo-Pacific strategy of the United States is to strengthen the role of the United States in the region, as America seeks to use collective opportunities and confront the challenges and threats of the XXI century. To this end, Washington will continue to strengthen relations with its allies and partners in the region.
Vasily Ivanov
Vasily Ivanovich Ivanov is a journalist.
