Joe Biden left no stone unturned and even tried history. Together they fought for freedom in the Pacific during World War II. The United States and the island nations would have stood together. This is how it must be now, was the message the American President addressed to the dozen or so heads of state and government from the region who had gathered at the American State Department on Thursday.
Much of world history will be written in the Indo-Pacific region in the coming years and decades – and the Pacific Islands are an important voice when it comes to shaping the future, Biden said. Therefore, his government wants to strengthen relations with the Pacific States. Then Japan, now China? Biden didn’t have to say what he meant. He later invited the representatives to a dinner at the White House.
At this summit with the Pacific island states, the American government did not limit itself to symbolic politics. Just in time for the meeting in Washington, the White House published a Pacific strategy – the first of its kind. With this Washington wants to make its interests clear in the region – in the face of “increased geopolitical competition”, as the 16-page document says. The effects of this competition also included pressure and economic coercion from the People’s Republic of China. By doing so, Beijing risks undermining “peace, prosperity and security” in the region and, ultimately, in the United States.
The island states feel neglected
Specifically, Washington intends to increase the number of diplomatic missions in the Pacific region from six to nine. The Strategic Partnership Agreements with the Pacific Islands of Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, which are about to expire, are also to be renewed. Last but not least, the American Coast Guard should strengthen its presence in the region. 810 million dollars are also to be invested in the region as foreign aid.
Blinken had already said on Wednesday, at the beginning of the State Department summit, that the cooperation was based on a shared vision. This is based on the realization that the great challenges of the present can only be tackled through cooperation. First and foremost he mentioned climate change, which particularly threatens the region, but also the preservation of the “free and open Indo-Pacific”, in which every nation, no matter how big or small, has the right to determine its own path. Blinken thus underlined that the new strategy includes the island states in its Indo-Pacific region.
Senior government officials had previously admitted that the region had been neglected by Washington in the strategy, which had previously focused on East and Southeast Asia and India. Basically, Washington lost interest in the region with the end of the Cold War. For a long time, there was hope for the huge Chinese market – and this was associated with the expectation of a medium-term political opening. That’s long gone. The Biden administration has now declared the People’s Republic to be the greatest strategic challenge of the 21st century. The new Pacific strategy takes this into account.
