US trying to unite China's rival neighbours

By Cathy Jones

US President Joe Biden’s administration is looking for ways to bring together multiple Asian countries behind the containment of rival superpower China, analysts said this week after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the region. 

On Tuesday, Austin advocated for a reduction of China's military activity in Southeast Asia through 'integrated deterrence'. He was speaking in Singapore. Austin also traveled to Vietnam and Philippines during the weeklong trip.'Integrated deterrence' means using “every military and non-military tool in lock step with allies and partners,” the U.S. Defense Department says on its website, citing space and cyberspace as two 'newer' tools.

Experts say Austin selected Vietnam and the Philippines because both have countered China during the past decade over contested sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. The US has made it clear China’s claims to own much of the sea have “no basis in international law.”  

This, of course, is not a coincidence. The U.S. just finished its China strategy. The core of the strategy is to get more allies on board, so it made sense that the first trip to Asia is in Southeast Asia because these countries would play some critical role. Backed by it's military, China has landfilled islets in the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea between Hong Kong and Borneo for military use. It periodically sends vessels into the exclusive economic zones of other countries.

Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan call all or parts of the same waterway their own. All three are U.S.-friendly, though they are also known to work with China economically. The U.S. government does not have a claim in the Asian sea but views China as a geopolitical rival that is bullying it neighbours. Vietnam, the most vocal opponent of China’s maritime claims among Southeast Asian nations, has received U.S. military hardware, including Coast Guard cutters.  

As trust builds between Vietnam and the United States, US will likely suggest more “naval cooperation,” including aircraft carrier visits and sale of American-made weapons. The two countries fought a war that concluded in the 1970s, however, and Vietnam relies heavily today on China as a trading partner. Vietnam may not want a high-profile role in containing China. 

Hence, it may simply play an observer status. 

The Philippines and the United States have had a mutual defense treaty since 1951. The Southeast Asian country’s forces often train alongside American counterparts. It’s not just the U.S. wanting to rally them behind the United States in its own strategic competition with China, but it’s also the U.S. trying to help those countries to protect their sovereignty and territorial integrities. 

On Thursday, timed for Austin’s visit, the Philippines announced it would retain a Visiting Forces Agreement with US despite misgivings that surfaced in 2020 as Manila explored ties with China. The defense secretary said that with  long-range planning, there could be more comprehensive exercises with Philippines. 

Austin’s trip signals a longer-term revamp of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s pivot to Asia. During his presidency, Obama unveiled a diplomatic, military, and economic strategy to be applied from the Indian subcontinent through Northeast Asia but was criticized for not fulfilling the shift in policy.

China has largely avoided criticism of Austin’s visit to Southeast Asia, but there's no doubt the country is shivering in fear. If US succeeds in its attempt it will be difficult for China to arm twist it's neighbours. Already they have started flexing muscle..