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President-elect Biden and US-Bangladesh relations

Muhammad Sharif Altaf || risingbd.com

Published: 12:58, 23 November 2020  
President-elect Biden and US-Bangladesh relations

Muhammad Sharif Altaf

China’s the Belt and Road Initiative and the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy have become huge issues recently. The United States has been annoyed and skeptical of China's development and domination for years.
 
Through huge investments, China has greatly increased its influence in the countries of Asia and Africa along the Indian Ocean. Excitement has grown on what kind of change in the US position in the region, a region of multiple allies close to the United States could signal after Joe Biden has been confirmed to be the next president.
 
Just a week before the US election, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper paid a surprise visit to three South Asian countries. The tour began from India. Following the formal talks, five agreements were signed between the two sides on October 27, with the Basic Exchange and Co-operation Agreement (BECA) on defense co-operation being of paramount importance.
 
According to the agreement, India will be able to get all the intelligence information obtained through US satellites. This will greatly enhance the capability of the Indian military to target China using missiles and drones in armed conflict.
 
US intelligence satellites will provide India with the images of Chinese movements monitoring the movements of Chinese troops and weapons in the Himalayan region.
 
As a result of the shift, the question now is whether relations between the United States and China will remain as bitter as before. Next to that question is the possible position of the United States on India-China. There is almost no difference between Democrats and Republicans in their attitude towards China.
 
Biden outlined the strategy of his potential government on a number of important issues, including a statement about China saying, ‘The United States will work with India to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and to establish the rule of law, where China or any other country will not be allowed to intimidate its neighbours.’
 
Despite maintaining visible good relations at the top level, Trump’s position was to extort money from both Japan and South Korea for fear of withdrawing the US military presence. While it is safe to say that Biden’s Democratic Party government will avoid such direct step, Japan does not expect much in the way of trade balances and investment.
 
While the issue of extorting money from allies in the name of the military presence is not a priority in the Biden administration’s policy, the United States may want its allies, such as Japan, to play a stronger and more expansive role in maintaining peace and stability in this region because Japan was under similar pressure during the Obama administration.
 
On the other hand, the leaders of Japan and South Korea do not see the possibility of any change in the position of the United States despite the ongoing conflict between Japan and South Korea. The USA wants Japan and South Korea to resolve their differences through dialogue.
 
Although some progress has been made recently, there is still a gap between the two countries in terms of interpretation of past history. So even though Japan is an ally of the United States, they are not getting US support in these ways. Therefore, Japanese policymakers are exploring the possibility of doing something without worsening the situation, rather than involving China. In this way, Japan can handle various complicated issues.
 
As a result, the biggest obstacle the Biden administration has to deal with in this region is its relationship with China. The USA is now economically dependent on China in many ways. On the contrary, China is not lagging behind in terms of military power as before.
 
Hence the Trump administration was no longer in a position to intimidate China. Japan is now considering whether to find a solution to the problem by adding China to a new multilateral structure, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership or the TPP, and Tokyo may influence Washington as well.
 
The US-led Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) project is clearly an attempt to reduce China’s influence. But China has set new targets due to global pressure as well as the US’s one. This policy will reduce the country’s dependence on foreign markets and technology and give more importance to its own economic development. This policy is called ‘Dual Circulation’ in the development of China’s economy. China is telling that it cannot be isolated from the rest of the world in terms of progress. China is needed for the interests of the United States and the development of the world.
 
The Trump administration considered Bangladesh as an important partner in the Indo-Pacific region. As Joe Biden wins the US presidential election, the country's attitude towards Bangladesh will be reflected in the broader Indo-Pacific strategy and there is a possibility from the Biden’s administration to prioritize economic cooperation in the region and reduce militarization efforts.
 
Then it will be better for a country like Bangladesh to continue a stable relationship with the United States while maintaining economic ties and trying to recover the stagnant benefits. All eyes are on Biden’s move in this strategy now.
 
 
Muhammad Sharif Altaf studies International Relations at the University of Dhaka
 

 

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