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In a 12-page strategy released by the Biden administration, the United States has vowed to shift its focus and attention increasingly towards South and East Asia to limit China’s influence in the region. The document clearly highlighted the importance of Southern and Eastern Asia by stating, “Our collective efforts over the next decade will determine whether the PRC succeeds in transforming the rules and norms that have benefited the Indo-Pacific and the world.”
This document also comes after the People’s Republic of China and Russia signed a “no limits” strategic partnership to work together and combat American hegemony. Within South Asia, the United States emphasized ensuring a “strong India” that will ally itself with the United States and stationing more military presence within South Asia to encircle China’s maritime borders.
This article demonstrates the United States foreign policy shift away from the Middle East, where it was bogged down for the almost entirety of the 21st century towards Asia. Also, the United States must establish India as a key ally within the region as India has one of the largest populations in the world and is rapidly developing into a more modern economy and military. Therefore, by buying in on India’s increasing military and economic clout, coinciding with increasing ties to countries like Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, etc. throughout Eastern, Southeastern, and South Asia the United States will be able to limit Chinese power. Also, with the United States and India both being liberal democracies and having a shared interest in combatting Chinese influence, increasing ties between the two countries could be mutually beneficial for the two states as they adjust to geopolitical restructuring in South Asia.
This demonstrates the importance of geopolitical restructuring in international relations. Now that India is emerging as a realm power and carving out pieces of the East Asian and Maritime Realm conflict is likely to arise. This geopolitical restructuring often causes conflicts to arise on realm borders, as seen currently with rising tensions between the Eurasian and Maritime realm over Ukraine. These increased tensions between India and China, originating from geopolitical restructuring, has already flared up in the Kashmir region where Chinese and Indian forces have fired upon one and other. Hopefully, increased United States deployment in the region can help mediate this violence and deter further military actions.