By and large, the past year has been a healthy mixture of continuity and change in Washington’s foreign policy, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
In particular, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden embraced his predecessor’s tough policy toward China, thus exacerbating the festering Sino-American “new Cold War” from the hotly contested waters of the South China Sea to the high-stakes realm of trade and high-tech competition.
Washington also doubled down on its burgeoning defense and strategic ties with Indo-Pacific “middle powers,” thereby strengthening alliances with Japan, Australia, India and the United Kingdom. The upshot is the further institutionalization of U.S.-led security partnerships such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as “the Quad,” as well as AUKUS (Australia-U.K.-U.S.).