Now it's clear that Japan, India, South Korea, Pakistan, and Singapore are all in favour of America in Asia.
by Swadesh Roy
The election and post-election policies of South Korea, a Southeast Asian country close to Beijing, concerned the White House. The outgoing president of South Korea's ruling Liberal Party has spent the last five years trying to forge an alliance with North Korea and China. Furthermore, over the last five years, South Korea has done some worksdrawing on its past history with Japan, one of America's most important and powerful economic allies in Asia – which detriment the Japan-South Korea relations. Relations between Japan and South Korea have been strained as a result of a Korean court condemning the Japanese military's treatment of women as a comfort lady during World War II and the freezing of Japanese company assets due to discrimination against Korean workers. This had an impact on American foreign policy as well. China, on the other hand, was in a much better position. That is why, the US State Department has been closely monitoring the election in South Korea for months. Several senior officials from their foreign affairs department also paid a visit to South Korea. The fact that Moon Jae-in, the leader of the Liberal Party, was defeated by a razor-thin margin in the end, and Yoon Suk-Yeol, the leader of the Conservative Party, was victorious, puts a small smile on the lips of many in the White House.
Even back then, the US was looking forward to see if the new government's foreign policy moving in the right direction. Initially, South Korea's new president said in a gesture that those who help and aid North Korea in creating nuclear tensions are not considered as friends by South Korea. After that, the White House was undoubtedly satisfied. Yeol has not yet been sworn in as President. He will assume power on May 10. In the meantime, signs of change, such as the foreign ministry, have spread throughout the country. The first information that has come to light is a major event not only in Asian politics but also in global politics. A senior Foreign Ministry official told the media on April 14 that his country would be an observer at the next Quad meeting. The United States, Japan, India, and Australia are now active members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or 'Quad,' an Indo-Pacific military and economic alliance. South Korea is the first country from Southeast Asia and close to Beijing to be an observer at the Quad meeting. On May 24, the quad meeting is going to be held in Japan, which they will attend. South Korea's move to the Quad means the US has gained the ability to take the Quad all the way to the tip of Beijing's nose.
On the other hand, ASEAN leaders (with the possible exception of Myanmar) will meet with Biden at the White House on May 12-13 before South Korea attends the Quad meeting on May 24. Other ASEAN members, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, are meeting with Biden at the White House for a two-day meeting if Myanmar is left out due to its lack of democratic conditions. In one word, Trump said no to ASEAN. And China has made ASEAN so close taking that advantage, they have risen up their trade with ASEAN which is more than US; again bringing that ASEAN to the White House is undoubtedly a great achievement of the US or Biden's Asia policy. ASEAN is Southeast Asia's oldest economic, political, and mutual cooperation organization. It was founded on August 6, 1967, in Bangkok. The United States provided substantial support at the time of its establishment. However, China has recently dominated ASEAN as a result of Trump's foreign policy. Biden brought it up againat the White House. As a result, political observers and other countries' gazes will now be drawn to ASEAN.
Aside from holding an ASEAN conference or meeting with Biden at the White House, Japan has been attempting to include ASEAN countries in the Quad for the past two years. Japan's efforts are not solely for its own benefit, but also to strengthen the American-led alliance's position in Asia and to push China. At the end of his last term, US President Barack Obama paid a visit to Vietnam. He also agreed to help Vietnam with military assistance. The issue didn’t reach further since Trump came to power and US foreign policy also changed. But when Biden came to power, and shortly Japan’s current Prime Minister took office, Fumio Kishida at first paid a visit to Vietnam. He urged Vietnam to unite with Japan not only in terms of economic cooperation but also military cooperation. They mustneed to be partners in greater military cooperation. As partners in greater military cooperation,he wants Vietnam to remain in the Quad in any capacity, whether as a full member or as an observer. Biden also called on Southeast Asian nations to unite in a speech shortly after the Japanese prime minister's visit to Vietnam, so that their rights in the South China Sea would not be taken away. In fact, these countries bordering the South China Sea have long claimed that China is robbing them of their rights to all kinds of resources, including oil and gas at the bottom of the sea. China, on the other hand, believes it has exclusive rights in the South China Sea. In contrast to China's policy, the US and Japan are attempting to take control of those countries.
Last week, Philippines and Japan had a two-plus-two meeting. That is a bilateral discussion about foreign and defence policy. Since World War II, Philippines has been hostile to Japan. But now they want to fix it in accordance with the current situation. They want to turn a new page in history together. Despite the fact that Japan and Philippines were unable to reach a definitive position in this two-plus-two meeting, but it is clear that Philippines is interested in this zone, the Japan-US zone. The presidential election in the Philippines is approaching. Their foreign and defence policies will not change regardless of who wins the election. Though some media out let are focusing China is pumping money in favour of one of the candidate of the President election of Philippines. Furthermore, political researchers and analysts in Southeast Asia believe that in what format it may be the Philippines will be the next country to join the Quad after South Korea.
Indonesia, on the other hand, is one of Southeast Asia's largest countries and the world's third largest democracy. On December 24, 2021, a 3,000-person opinion poll was conducted there. It shows that half of the people, or 50%, believe China will become a security threat to their country in the next ten years. Conversely, 43% of respondents believe that America poses a similar threat. And there's the current conflict between China and the United States, in which 80% of citizens want their country to remain neutral. Despite its neutral stance, most Indonesians believe that China poses a greater economic threat than the United States, according to polls. They should also join forces with another major power to protect themselves from this threat. More than half of Indonesians thought China's economic development was beneficial to the country ten years ago, but that number has now dropped to 43%. Besides, the majority of them believe that America is a far better economic development partner than China.
In addition to this, another major issue is currently occupying Indonesian politics and foreign policy. The three world leaders have a significant influence on their countries' politics and foreign policies. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Jayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, and current Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are the three. They are all close allies of the United States. While public opinion in Indonesia is increasingly hostile to China, its citizens believe that the United States is a good partner for their economic development. Simultaneously, these three foreign powers who have influence in their politics and foreign policy, as well as Indonesia, they will push to Indonesia to support America's economic and military policies. And, as a result, researchers in Southeast Asia and the West believe that Indonesia will remain with the West at the end. To put it another way, they will support US-led politics, economy, and military policy as long as it serves their interests. Furthermore, China is an autocratic nation, whereas America is a democratic nation. So, Indonesia will place greater trust in the United States in terms of economic and defence policy following their democratic values.
India, a South Asian country, is now working to strengthen its economic and military ties with the US. The current government of Pakistan must seek the assistance of multinational economic organizations in order to restore its economy from where it is now. And if the US remains supportive, the World Bank, IMF, and even the ADB are always willing to help. They will try to beon America’s side in order to achieve this. There is no other way to save Sri Lanka's economy than to follow Pakistan's lead, which is to work with the World Bank, IMF, and ADB with American assistance. Afghanistan, like Pakistan and Sri Lanka, has no choice but to rely on Western aid to support its economy, particularly in light of the current food crisis. Humanitarian organizations all over the world are urging Western countries, including the US, to work together in Afghanistan. They have no choice but to make significant changes in Afghanistan's current government, including increased human rights, civil rights, and women's liberties. As a result, they must also seek American assistance as soon as possible. Speaking to a Nepali minister, he stated that the lower the interest rate, the better for the economy of his country. He also praised a Western debt in a gesture that they recently received.
So now it's clear that Japan, India, South Korea, Pakistan, and Singapore are all in favour of America in Asia. Furthermore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, and Afghanistan will all take the same route. Again, ASEAN leaders are meeting at the White House. Therefore, the United States and the Biden administration have already bolstered their Asian allies in order to settle political scores. China, on the other hand, is slowly losing friends and encircling itself.
The author is a senior journalist and writer of Bangladesh and also a highest state award winning media person.
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