China News Service, June 2nd. The US "Diplomatist" website published a signed article on the 1st, arguing that the "Indo-Pacific Economic Framework" announced by the Biden administration lacked details and had a loose structure.
The article also pointed out that with the mid-term elections approaching, it will be difficult for the Biden administration to introduce strong economic policies, which will make it difficult for its diplomatic layout in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve results, and the image of the United States in the region will become more "unreliable".
Data map: US President Biden.
On April 23, US President Biden announced the launch of the "Indo-Pacific Economic Framework".
The U.S. side said that the framework has 13 initial members including the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, and is intended to replace the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that former U.S. President Donald Trump announced to withdraw, as the basis for strengthening economic relations between the U.S. and Indo-Pacific countries.
In a recent speech, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken also claimed that the framework could address a range of issues including supply chains, infrastructure, clean energy and taxation.
In this regard, the article pointed out that Blinken is actually "touting" this framework.
In the Asia-Pacific region, many countries attach great importance to economic cooperation, but the framework is lacking in detail and non-binding, and it is not a true free trade agreement.
At the same time, the two major trade agreements in the region, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), do not have a U.S. presence, implying that due to the lack of a strong trade policy , the Biden administration lacks a "credible and stable strategy" in the Asia-Pacific region, and its diplomatic layout is also difficult to achieve results.
The article stated that, in fact, the Biden administration also understands that in order to exert influence in the Asia-Pacific region, it must return to the trade game, and Campbell, the White House official in charge of Indo-Pacific affairs, has also publicly acknowledged that the United States should "intensify efforts" on economic engagement.
However, due to doubts about free trade, national security and many other disputes in the United States, coupled with the looming pressure of the mid-term elections, the interests of various factions are complicated, and the politically constrained Biden administration can only struggle between the interests of all parties. ”, intending to seek a balance between politics and economy, this thread is the “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework”.
However, this move has not yielded satisfactory results.
The article concludes by pointing out that if the United States continues to deal with issues in the Asia-Pacific region in this way, it will only accelerate its image as "unreliable and untrustworthy" in the region.