The United States has intensified its efforts to assert or reclaim American Primacy in Asia. Assert if one holds the view that it still holds military preponderance; reclaim if one believes that it doesn’t. Through a series of so-called mini-lateral arrangements, the US has in recent years sought to enlist its Asia Pacific client states, former colonies and subimperial allies to anchor a 21st Century bulwark on the western edge of America’s Lake. The Quad, AUKUS and now the trilateral involving Japan and the Philippines form part of a lattice-like network, in all practical intents and purposes, aimed squarely at the containment of China.

China and India are Asia’s two largest countries, and both are rising quickly to claim powerful positions in the international order. Their proximity has made them natural competitors - but their relationship’s pillars and challenges will be important to understand in the 21st Century.

Not so long ago, Australia was known for its booming economy and balanced foreign policy. Today its economy is stagnating, while the U.S. Big Defense casts a dark shadow over its foreign policy - as evidenced by nuclear escalation.

The many tensions that exist already between the U.S. and China already seemed to border unmanageable. And with the Russia-Ukraine conflict continuing to rage on, its long term effects will surely spill over into the relationship between East and West.

South Korea has become a dynamic economic force in the 21st century - and as a neighbor of China that hosts multiple U.S. army bases, has grown increasingly important as a potential player in the Quad’s designs for a security encirclement of China.

The Biden administration is prioritizing its foreign policy strategy in Asia by extensive outreach and alliances in the region. Strategic partnerships with other countries, particularly in the Indo-Pacific , are crucial for the U.S. to keep up with China’s growth in the region.

The BRICS and Quad organizations, led by China and the U.S. respectively, have begun making competing overtures to nations in Asia in an attempt to counter each other’s influence.

With President Joe Biden’s Asia tour and recent remarks by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the United States has begun putting a Cold War notion into practice once again. But what has failed in the past will not likely succeed in the future.

As President Biden attends his first in-person meetings in Asia, who he’s visiting and their respective agendas can inform our observations on what the U.S. strategy will be in dealing with China’s neighbors.

Lacking concrete detail, the framework is burdened by great uncertainty. Moreover, the United States seems to be sending a decoupling signal to China — a questionable strategy. If the U.S. continues along this line, it will be hard to win confidence and cooperation from countries in the Indo-Pacific region.