Opinion | China’s own actions have spurred hawkish US turn in policy
- Denny Roy writes that American strategy in the Indo-Pacific is a result of the heightened sense of alarm Washington feels about recent Chinese behaviour
The US defence community has adopted what it calls a Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy (FOIP), raising questions about the intent behind the new terminology. How much US policy will change is not yet clear, but an undeniable and important signal from the FOIP is a heightened sense of alarm about China.
The term “Indo-Pacific” reflects the US Navy’s argument that in practice, there is no logic to separating the Pacific and Indian Oceans. US operations require seamless movement between the two seas. The US Pacific Command changed its name to US Indo-Pacific Command in 2018.
FOIP repeats US policy guidelines toward the Asia-Pacific region that precede the Trump administration, but with a sharpening of focus and effort in some areas. It is fundamentally a restatement of, and a commitment to, protecting the regional order sponsored by the US. The order is a set of liberal rules, norms and institutions, including free trade, respect for international laws and agreements, and non-bullying. Like any great power, the United States interprets these principles in light of its own interests, often to the chagrin of some other governments, including Beijing.
Senior US officials explicating FOIP make several consistent points, each suggesting a problem that Washington sees as closely connected to recent Chinese behaviour.
First, FOIP calls for keeping international waters and airspace unobstructed. This is clearly a reaction to China’s “nine-dash line” claim and construction of military facilities in the South China Sea along with Chinese indifference to the internationally recognised Law of the Sea.
The South China Sea leads the list of US worries about “grey zone” activity: moves that strengthen an adversary’s position but are not belligerent enough to justify an overt military response. One clear practical implication is a continuation of US Navy ships sailing near Chinese military outposts in the South China Sea to challenge Chinese claims, meaning a persistent danger of an unplanned military crisis.