America is losing South-East Asia to China

[u/Independent-Low-2398]

https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/10/03/america-is-losing-south-east-asia-to-china

[u/[deleted]]

Another problem with having such an old President. He is so focused on Europe and the Middle East he has completely fucked up in Asia.

[u/dizzyhitman_007 → u/[deleted]]

POTUS missing the East Asia Summit is not just about ceding ground to China, but about the message it sends to the partners of the US in Southeast Asia—that they're not a priority for the US.

[u/[deleted] → u/dizzyhitman_007]

1000%

Especially when our message is that they have to bend the knee to our security demands while we completely ignore (and even harm) their economic, diplomatic, and development priorities.

[u/JesusSinfulHands → u/[deleted]]

Biden and Blinken are also both Atlanticists at heart and in experience. So is Phil Gordon. Real China and/or Asia experts are not a part of the highest echelons of policymaking in any American administration.

[u/[deleted] → u/JesusSinfulHands]

Sadly you’re right.

[u/OpenMask → u/[deleted]]

Are there any real China experts even left in US policymaking at all, or have they mostly already been swept out by the national security types?

[u/[deleted] → u/OpenMask]

Good question, I’d hope someone is there but it’s hard to tell from the outside. So far the Asia policy has been shit tier so who knows.

I swear to Shai Halud if I hear one more supposed foreign policy “experts” say there is a new Cold War I’m going to have a stroke.

[u/throwaway_veneto → u/OpenMask]

The issue is that spending any significant amount of time in China will be an obstacle for one's career, while the Chinese leadership has no issues sending their kids to study in the West. The asymmetry of understanding of each others society is staggering.

[u/ale_93113 → u/[deleted]]

The article says that it has been the pivot to asia that has ironically caused ASEAN nations to feel anxious

turns out, asean nations want a trade heavy friendly US in the area, NOT an assertive US

does anyone read articles anymore?

[u/Daddy_Macron → u/ale_93113]

American pivots to countries and regions have been hamstrung by the fact that the national security apparatus has been assuming more of the portfolio for everything and forcing out the professional diplomats and economists who used to take the lead. After gutting the State Department under Trump, it never really got built back up again and it's been understaffed to the point where America's most active and prolific "diplomat" to South America is a fucking General (Laura Richardson), which you do not have to be a raging South American Leftist to be deeply uncomfortable about.

From the Economist about the contrast on the Chinese side:

https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/07/04/chinas-presence-in-latin-america-has-expanded-dramatically

Chancay typifies the footprint that China has stamped on Latin America in this century. Two-way trade has climbed from $18bn in 2002 to $450bn in 2022. While the United States remains the biggest trade partner for the region as a whole, China is now the biggest in South America—with Brazil, Chile, Peru and others. The Asian giant’s presence is not just economic. Its ambassadors are well versed in Latin America, and speak good Spanish and Portuguese. Its diplomatic staff has been expanding. The United States, by contrast, often leaves ambassadorial posts vacant because of political gridlock in Washington. Local officials, journalists and academics are offered free trips to China. During the pandemic China sent vaccines to Latin America much faster than did the United States or Europe.

Our diplomatic outreach to Southeast Asia has been similarly awkward and ineffective. Going to countries and demanding that they turn down Chinese investment and trade to advance US national interests is not a compelling argument in Asia outside of close allies like Japan and South Korea, and even then there are limits. We've been all stick and no carrots since the Obama Administration, and it's not working in most of the Global South. At least Obama offered the region unprecedented access to the US market through TPP negotiations. Now we're offering them protectionism against their products while trying to get them to be protectionist for our sake as well.

[u/[deleted] → u/ale_93113]

Yes I read the article. I was agreeing with it.

I pointed out our actions have been counterproductive, including the over militarization of our foreign policy.

We have a president too old to realize Asia needs to be treated with nuance and respect, not a heavy handed Uncle Sam dictates everything approach.

But that nuance can’t happen when we’re mired in periphery issues on the Mid East and Europe.