Biden Bolsters Indo-Pacific Ties in Final Days of Presidency
The Facts
The Biden administration Tuesday in separate notices submitted three significant agreements to Congress in an attempt to strengthen relations in the Indo-Pacific and lessen Chinese influence in the region prior to Pres.-elect Donald Trump being sworn in Jan. 20.
In addition to a civil nuclear cooperation deal with Thailand, the administration is also seeking free association agreements with Palau and the Marshall Islands. The $7.1B agreements with Palau and the Marshall Islands will provide access to various US agencies' services, including disaster relief and weather forecasting.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
What the Biden administration has done to solidify ties with nations in the Indo-Pacific, in the face of threats from North Korea and China, is amazing. At the outset, relations between the US and the region were at an all-time low, but now the one-on-one relationships have strengthened and the overlaps in those dealings have made the US and those nations more secure.
Republican narrative
The Biden administration shouldn't be patting itself on the back. While Indo-Pacific relations are important, they're miniscule compared to the administration's failures dealing with the Ukraine-Russia war, the war in Gaza, and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan — the latter of which was terrible for US standing and emboldened America's enemies.
