Challenges in dealing with Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific region has been under pressure and East Asia, in particular, has had to weather repeated storms.

Recently, U.S. President Joseph Biden was on his five-day visit to Asia.
During this visit, the new conservative South Korean government showed a willingness to expand the presence of a U.S. missile defence system in the country, which had earlier angered China.
In Japan, the administration promised him that it was ready to do away with its long-standing 1% GDP ceiling for annual defence spending.
Mr. Biden said at a press conference that the U.S. would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan if it came under attack from China.
The President and members of his delegation later clarified that there is no change in the substance of American foreign policy, which is still governed by the Taiwan Relations Act.
As per the 1979 Congressional law, the U.S. “shall provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character” so that the region can defend itself.
The law says nothing about the U.S. being required to step in militarily to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China.

South Korea and Japan face regular nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
Challenge to international maritime law: China not only challenges international maritime laws in the South China Sea, but also confronts Japan over the Senkaku Islands.
Spratly Islands dispute: Six nations, including China and Taiwan, are involved in the dispute over the Spratly Islands, which are supposedly sitting on vast reserves of oil and natural gas.
Militarisation of disputed isles: China has vigorously militarised some portions of the disputed isles, islets and coral reefs; and countries like Vietnam and the Philippines are anxious not to be left behind.

The US has sought to deal with China by establishing an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) with Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Four pillars of IPEF: The IPEF will work on fine-tuning four major pillars: standards and rules for digital trade; resilient supply chains; green energy commitments; and fair trade.
Issues of trade and tariffs: However, there is discontent that the framework does not address issues of trade and tariffs.
Lack of trade component: Asian partners really want is trade, they want market access.
And the trade component of the IPEF is really lacking.

1] Balance relations with US and China: One is that China’s neighbours would rather balance relations between Washington and Beijing.
2] Extent of resistance: Second is the extent to which countries in the region will want to get on the anti-China bandwagon, economic or strategic.
Whether it is in East, Southeast or South Asia, every country has its own unique relationship with Beijing.
India may be a part of the Quad, but is quite mindful that it is the only country in the group that shares a land border with China.
South Korea and Japan are part of a strong American security/strategic partnership but will be keen on maintaining their economic status with China.
This is also true for the Association of South East Asian Nations.

Given the complex nature of the threats and the challenges the Indo-Pacific faces, drawing up any strategy remains to be an uphill task.

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