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It was supposed to be a week-long presidential trip demonstrating the United States’ commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, but the debt ceiling crisis left by President Joe Biden in Washington forced him to cancel the second half of his itinerary.
The planned summit in Sydney of the leaders of four countries took place: the USA, Australia, India and Japan. Rejected, a meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, and an announcement by the president of an agreement to give the US military access to the island nation’s ports and airports.
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In Japan, President Joe Biden is pursuing two pillars of his foreign policy: revitalizing alliances with the US and demonstrating the virtues of democracy as an effective system of government Both are looming over the debt ceiling crisis he left behind in Washington.
For some, the derailed and shortened tour will only heighten fears that a weakened America, distracted by political divisions at home, may be unable to lead the Indo-Pacific as it confronts an increasingly assertive China.
“The presence matters to all US allies in the region, so yes, canceling the second phase of President Biden’s visit to Asia will cause some frustration and raise some questions,” says Nicholas Széchenyi of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
“But this could still be a temporary blip on the radar screen,” he adds, “if the administration sticks to a very clear agenda and the vast and multi-dimensional network it has established across the region.”
When President Joe Biden meets with his G-7 colleagues in Hiroshima, Japan this weekend, he brings up an agenda of burning issues, from increased Western support for Ukraine to international regulation of artificial intelligence.
On Friday, the leaders of the host nation, the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Canada and Italy announced new economic support for Ukraine and another round of sanctions against Russia for its “illegal, unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.”
Mr. Biden told G-7 leaders that the US is now supporting the training of Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 jets, senior officials told reporters on condition of anonymity. The initiative received support in Europe.
Why did we write this
The story dedicated
In Japan, President Joe Biden is pursuing two pillars of his foreign policy: revitalizing alliances with the US and demonstrating the virtues of democracy as an effective system of government Both are looming over the debt ceiling crisis he left behind in Washington.
It was also announced on Friday that President Volodymyr Zelensky would attend the closing of the summit on Sunday, another stop on the Ukrainian leader’s fast-paced diplomatic tour, which included a Saudi appeal Friday for support to members of the Arab League.
But in Asia, Mr. Biden, in addition to his short-term political agenda, is also pursuing two key foreign policy directions of his presidency: revitalizing America’s alliances and demonstrating the virtues of democracy as an effective system of governance in an age of progressive authoritarianism.
Hanging over both priorities is the debt ceiling crisis left by Mr. Biden in Washington, and how this unresolved domestic issue forced the White House to cancel the second half of a planned week-long trip demonstrating US commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. region.
Post-G7 visits to Australia and the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea were cancelled, the latter proudly touted by the White House as the first visit by a sitting president to the South Pacific island nation.
The planned summit in Sydney of the leaders of four countries took place: the USA, Australia, India and Japan. Rejected, a meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, and an announcement by the president of an agreement to give the US military access to the island nation’s ports and airports.
For some, a disrupted and shortened presidential tour will only heighten fears that a weakened America, distracted by political divisions at home, may not be able to lead the Indo-Pacific as it confronts an increasingly assertive China.
Indeed, for some critics, the political brinkmanship displayed in Washington over the debt limit — Republican negotiators backed out of talks with the White House on Friday — can only dampen Mr. Biden’s resounding pro-democracy rhetoric on the international stage — and delight Beijing. .
Reflecting the region’s frustration, Sydney Morning Herald foreign affairs columnist Matthew Knott this week drew attention to the “turmoil” in Washington and noted: “The Quad summit in Sydney was meant to be a powerful symbol of four proud democracies working together to get things done. Instead, he added, it will help highlight the systemic problems that plague the world’s oldest democracy and its quest for permanent global leadership.
Not quite the influence of the press and public diplomacy that the White House must have had in mind when planning the president’s trip to Asia.
Moreover, the sight of a US president clipped by vicious opposition and dysfunctional politics at home is widely described as a “gift” to Beijing, which is critical of Washington’s increased focus on the South Pacific and the strengthening of the alliance. with Australia.
The contrast of a rising China with a weakened American superpower was highlighted by reports of a smiling Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, holding his own summit with the five Central Asian countries on the eve of the G-7 meeting.
Mr Xi’s summit polished the image of a confident world leader who has achieved a string of diplomatic triumphs in recent months without fear of undermining political opposition at home.
However, experts on Asian affairs and diplomatic relations say any setbacks to Mr. Biden’s foreign policy agenda as a result of his canceled visits may be short-lived if the administration continues what some say has been intense preparatory work and diplomatic engagement. in the region.
And, of course, if the world’s largest economy can resolve the debt ceiling crisis before it wreaks havoc on an already fragile global economy.
“The presence matters to all US allies in the region, so yes, canceling the second leg of President Biden’s Asian trip will cause some frustration and raise some questions. And it will certainly give China and other countries opposed to strong US leadership in Asia the courage to redouble their efforts to portray the US as an unreliable partner,” said Nicholas Széchenyi, deputy director of Japan at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. .
“But this could still be a temporary blip on the radar screen,” he adds, “if the administration sticks to a very clear agenda and the vast and multi-dimensional network it has established across the region.”
Ding Haitao/Xinhua/AP
There is no getting around the fact that the now canceled shutdowns in Papua New Guinea and Australia are a “missed opportunity” for the US to strengthen relations and a presence in a region that it has long ignored, Mr. Széchenyi said.
But he notes that Mr. Biden plans to meet with his three counterparts from four countries on the sidelines of the G-7 summit (Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, as well as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who were invited to participate as leaders of the G-7, as is South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol), while a planned trilateral meeting between the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea remains on the agenda.
Others say any doubts about US leadership caused by Mr. Biden’s domestic political turmoil must be weighed against the administration’s recent diplomatic successes on the Asia-Pacific front.
The “split screen” of an administration promoting democracy abroad while weakened by political brawls at home is as annoying as publicly curtailing a carefully planned trip, says Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at Defense Priorities in Washington.
But no one should lose sight of recent US successes in the region, he adds.
“You can say that the Biden administration has made some progress in its policy in Asia,” he says, highlighting President Yun’s recent state visit to the White House and agreements with the Philippines to expand the US military presence there.
A successful week-long trip around the Pacific “should have been the icing on the cake,” says the doctor. Goldstein says. Losing it might not be good, he adds.
But what worries him even more is how close scrutiny of Mr. Biden’s summit in Asia overshadows the dangers of a lack of high-level diplomacy with China.
“We put too much effort into these symbolic meetings,” he says, “and not enough attention… to situations that remain extremely dark,” which worsens relations with China in the first place.
Stephan Russo/AP
During a recent extended trip to China to meet with officials, retired military and academics, Dr. K. Goldstein says he was struck by the near-universal and deeply pessimistic view that the US, thanks to its heightened military diplomacy and expansion of bases in the region, should prepare for war over Taiwan.
As for any damage to Mr. Biden’s pro-democracy project, some experts point out that the democratic world, starting with the leaders of the G-7, will understand that tough domestic politics comes with territory. Others emphasize that Mr. Biden can cushion any fallout from the unresolved debt ceiling crisis by highlighting the democratic underpinnings of the G-7 and other alliances the US is strengthening, such as the Quad.
“Biden will be able to use his presence at the G-7 summit to rally the international community in support of the rules-based international order that is essential for the region’s prosperity and security,” Mr. Széchenyi said. “Strengthening the rules and regulations of this order is one of Japan’s priorities at the summit,” he adds, “so we should expect significant attention” to this issue.
Some experts say Mr. Biden will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit in San Francisco in November. By then, they say, the spectacle of a breakdown in American diplomacy may be a faint memory.
But if Mr. Biden is to continue his Asia policy, he will have to put a visit to Australia and the South Pacific back on the agenda as soon as possible, Mr. Széchenyi adds.
Apparently aware of this, the White House began to use phrases such as “until [the canceled visits] can be rescheduled” in his statements from Hiroshima.
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