Camilla Pohle
The Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Pacific Islands – because that’s what is happening – benefits China at the expense of U.S. national security. Washington’s latest series of policy blunders comes at a crucial time when China is seeking to expand its military presence beyond the First Island Chain, which could allow Beijing to project power farther into the region and complicate U.S. and allied contingency plans for a war in East Asia.
Building close partnerships with Pacific Island countries could help Washington prevent such an outcome, if U.S. leadership were interested in doing that. Instead, the United States is harming Pacific Islanders, destroying its relationships with Pacific Island countries, and letting China win the competition for influence.
And it’s only April.
Since January, the Trump administration has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, withdrawn from the World Health Organization, suspended most foreign aid, accelerated deportations, and raised tariffs to an extreme degree with no discernible justification (then most of the additional tariffs were delayed). Any one of these policies would have damaged the United States’ ties with Pacific Island countries; there is no doubt that, collectively, they will severely undermine the United States’ relationships and its ability to secure its own interests in the region. These policies will make Pacific Island countries less likely to seek partnership with Washington in the future and reinforce the perception that the United States is withdrawing from the world stage, ceding ground to an ascendant China.
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