U.S. Vicepresident Joe Biden Addresses Relations with Asia-Pacific Region
US Vice president visits George Washington University to discuss future foreign policy during an event hosted by the Center for American Progress
The economic success of Asia
is fundamentally linked to the U.S., Vice President Joe Biden said at an event
hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP) in the Jack Morton
Auditorium last Thursday. His address, which focused on the Obama
administration’s effort to strengthen relations with the Asia-Pacific region,
took place a week before Mr. Biden visits India and Singapore.
The event opened with a brief
welcome from George Washington University President Steven Knapp, followed by
Rich Verma, a senior fellow at CAP. CAP President Neera Tanden provided
introductory remarks before inviting Mr. Biden to the stage.
In his address, the vice
president explained the U.S. is rebalancing its attention and resources toward
the Asia-Pacific because the region’s promising economy -which includes a middle
class of 1 billion people and fast-emerging markets- has the potential to
generate growth around the world, including in the U.S. A recent free trade
agreement with South Korea, negotiations to create the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) and strides toward improving relations with China are
part of the U.S. effort to foster closer ties with Asia and the Pacific.
Building a healthy
relationship will involve “strengthening our alliances, deepening security
partnerships and investing like never before in regional institutions to help
manage disputes peacefully”, Mr. Biden said.
His upcoming trips to India
and Singapore show a commitment to this rebalancing policy. India’s increased
engagement and economic growth in Southeast Asia present an opportunity for the
U.S. to develop new trade and transportation, while Singapore has an economy
ranked the 17th largest in the world. Cooperation with other
emerging countries in Southeast Asia is supported through efforts like
President Obama’s Expanded Economic Engagement Initiative with
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Western Hemisphere has a
role to play, too: Western countries are involved in the TPP and the Pacific
Alliance, two efforts to bring countries closer together. The TPP, if
successful, will account for 40 percent of the world’s GDP, and it has the
potential to set new standards for fair competition. Mr. Biden hopes the
partnership will go into effect this year.
When he addressed America’s
relationship with China moving forward, he predicted it will not involve
conflict, but simply “a healthy mix of competition and cooperation”.
Pivoting toward the
Asia-Pacific is going to involve challenges, Mr. Biden explained, among them
addressing climate change.
He noted the U.S. will work
with ASEAN to promote clean energy, help Pacific nations mitigate the effects
of rising sea levels and conclude an agreement with China to reduce
hydrofluorocarbon pollutants.
Mr. Biden also discussed
reducing intimidation and maritime disputes because “economic growth critically
depends on peace and stability”. The U.S. looks to China and ASEAN as they work
on a code of conduct agreement for the South China Sea. In response to recent
“provocative behavior” from North Korea, Mr. Biden said the U.S.
welcomes dialogue “if North Korea is prepared to engage in genuine
negotiations”.
Despite the new focus on the
Asia-Pacific region, Mr. Biden insisted the U.S. will not abandon relationships
with Europe or neglect its watch over the Middle East.
“To use the vernacular, we can
walk and chew gum at the same time”, he said. “That’s what big powers do”.
Achieving this is possible
because “we’re better positioned than any time before to be able to do it all…
America is back”, he said, listing 7.2 million new jobs created since 2009 and
increases in manufacturing as evidence. He also pointed out the resiliency of
Americans, who he said achieve innovation by learning to challenge orthodoxy.
“The president and I are going
to continue to reach across the ocean, both east and west, particularly to the
indispensable Pacific nations, to help shape a prosperous future for America,
for their people and, I would argue, for the world”, Mr. Biden concluded.
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