YDS 2021 in Review

by Cameron Smith | YDS Regional Correspondent
The Biden administration’s strategy to
combat an increasingly assertive China
has started to take shape and signals
greater Sino-US competition. Biden’s
strategy is built on the belief that China
is the only geopolitical rival that truly
threatens the international rules-based
order. China, over recent years, has
repeatedly violated international law
and made clear its regional ambitions. It
has illegally expanded its territory and
maritime zone in the South China Sea,
conducted cyberattacks on foreign
countries (including the US), and
continues to threaten an invasion of
Taiwan.
Over the last ten years, the country has
increased its defence spending by over
750 per cent, and engaged in industrialscale
theft of intellectual property
across the world. Sino-US tensions have
risen sharply since 2017 when the US
declared China a “strategic competitor”
and key areas of competition have
crystallised - trade, technology,
cyberspace and military capability.
The Trump administration, though
clumsy and inflammatory, clearly
articulated the threat of China,
frequently citing ‘China’ as the
malevolent architect of various global
ills, which consequently hardened
American attitudes towards the
country. However, it lacked strategy and
Trump failed to achieve any meaningful
advantage over his competitor. Biden is
attempting to formulate a more
comprehensive and coherent strategy
than his predecessor to compete with
China on multiple fronts. This includes
engaging in multilateralism that utilises
US diplomatic strength, pursues
aggressive economic competition and
repositions US military strength against
China. In this strategy, the groundwork
for a new Cold War is evident, which will
inevitably take place in the Indo-Pacific.
T H E R E A S S E R T I O N
O F A U . S .
M U L T I L A T E R A L
A P P R O A C H
The Biden administration’s attempts to
coordinate with traditional and
emerging US partners clearly
demonstrates its efforts to rally allies
into a coherent bloc against Beijing. This
ambition aims to politically and
economically inhibit China. The goal can
be exemplified in two early actions of
the administration: the first ever headof-government
meeting of ‘the Quad’
and high-profile visits to strategic
partners in Asia.
The Quad is not a military alliance.
However, it is an important cornerstone
of the US regional security architecture.
During the meeting in March, the
partners announced the Quad’s
objective to manufacture and distribute
one billion COVID vaccinations
throughout the Indo-Pacific, which is
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