Besides tackling COVID-19 and climate change, a unifying force within the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is undoubtedly the member countries’ response to China. As the May Quad summit is underway, analysts must assess both how the Quad will react to China as well as how China will respond to the Quad alliance.

America finally issued a broad statement on its Indo-Pacific strategy, predictably addressing concerns about China’s influence and spelling out its intention to play into its allies' favor. Meanwhile, ASEAN must respond to the latest development to retain their own autonomy and stability in what many are sure to see as rising tensions.

The Biden administration recognizes the importance of sustained engagement in the region, but it can’t ignore Washington’s other interests around the world. Thus, the prospects for America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy are uncertain.

The United States and its allies need to make a strategic shift in their Asian strategy, away from their highly militarized mindset and toward thinking about what countries in the region want.

During the Cold War, Europe was America’s strategic priority. East Asia was largely a sideshow, even though the United States fought bloody wars in Korea and Vietnam, and also provided security for Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Strategic competition between China and the United States should be characterized not as a new cold war but as an uneasy peace. Shooting is not likely to break out, but the two countries will remain in dread of each other in the coming decade.

Unless the United States comes up with a way to promote regional interaction, it will become increasingly difficult to return to a constructive track. It risks becoming a bystander, a follower or even a saboteur of economic cooperation.

A just cause enjoys abundant support while an unjust one does not. At a time when most countries in the Asia-Pacific region are striving to maintain peace and stability, the U.S. has deliberately waded in to create antagonism and the potential for cutthroat competition.

Both the EU and ASEAN have largely criticized the newly announced AUKUS deal, leaving many European nations and China’s neighboring states scrambling to respond to the addition of nuclear submarines to Australia’s arsenal.

Maintaining the old zero-sum mentality against China, the United States starts with its own interests in mind, rather than the needs of the island nations. Its diplomatic and military focus will not contribute to development and will ultimately fail.