US pivot to Asia ‘likely to continue on smaller scale’ under Trump

Observers say incoming administration will remain committed to allies, but will put less emphasis on the region

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Two US aircraft carriers and their support ships in the Philippine Sea in June. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:00pm, 10 Nov 2016Updated: 9:54am, 11 Nov 2016

The new administration of Donald Trump will not repudiate the US “pivot to Asia” strategy, and it may even strengthen the country’s military capacity and presence around the world, according to the president-elect’s top military advisers.

The implications of Trump’s foreign and defence policy remain to be seen, but some observers have said that a Trump administration might provide strategic opportunities for China to extend its presence in Asia.

Watch: Obama and Trump’s first White House meeting

In an opinion piece published in the South China Morning Post on Thursday, James Woolsey, a senior adviser to Trump on national security, said the new administration would need to reverse defence budget cuts and make sure the US was still the leading military force in the world.

“The US sees itself as the holder of the balance of power in Asia and is likely to remain quite determined to protect its allies against Chinese overreach,” Woolsey, who served as CIA director under president Bill Clinton, writes.

“China should realise that our reflexes in Asia are not driven by territorial ambitions.”