Biden in Japan to launch regional economic plan to counter Beijing
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U.S. Vice President Joe Biden receives a warm welcome from Japan’s Foreign Ministry Yoshimasa Yamashita upon arriving at Yokota Air Base in Fussa (Tokyo prefecture), May 22, 2022. Biden visited Japan Sunday to present a plan for increased U.S. economic engagement within the Indo-Pacific. However, there has already been criticism that the program will not be of any real benefit to other countries in the region.
Getty Images| Afp | Getty Images
On Sunday, President Joe Biden visited Japan to announce a new plan to increase U.S. economic involvement with the Indo-Pacific. However, there has been criticism that the program will not be of any benefit for countries within the region.
Biden will meet leaders from Australia, India, and Japan on the second leg his Asia trip. This is another key component of his strategy against China’s growing influence.
Biden meets with Japanese business leaders including the President of Toyota MotorA person who is familiar with the subject said that he met the Ambassador in Tokyo at his residence shortly after arriving.
He will call Emperor Naruhito on Monday before meeting with Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister. Both he and Kishida will discuss Japan’s plans for expanding its military capability and reaching in response to China’s increasing might.
Biden will roll out the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity Monday, a program to bring regional countries closer through shared standards in areas such as supply-chain resilience and clean energy.
Washington is without an economic pillar in its Indo-Pacific engagement, since the former president Donald Trump renounced a trans-Pacific multilateral trade agreement. China has now expanded its reach into this field.
However, the IPEF will not include binding commitments. Asian trade experts and countries have a decidedly negative response to an IPEF program that is limited by Biden’s unwillingness to put American jobs at risk by providing greater market access for the region.
While the White House desired that it be an official start to negotiations with a group of core countries who are likeminded to Japan, Japan wanted more participation, diplomatic and trade sources indicated.
Sources said Monday’s ceremony would likely signify an agreement to begin discussions about IPEF, rather than actual negotiations.
Insufficient incentives
Beijing had a dim view about the IPEF.
China supports regional cooperation initiatives, however it opposes attempts to cause division and confrontation,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated in a statement. The Asia-Pacific region should be a place of peace and not geopolitical gladiators.
Wang explained that “Indo-Pacific strategy” was primarily a strategy which creates division, incites confrontation and undermines peace.
A diplomat from Asia said that some ASEAN members could attend the IPEF launch ceremony. However, a Japanese Finance Ministry official stated that many people in the region are reluctant to participate due to the absence of tangible incentives such as tariff reductions.
Matthew Goodman from Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the White House seems to have decided to treat the launch of the IPEF more like an event with an open bar, which all are welcome to. The real work will begin on Monday morning.
“Eventually, the administration will have to offer tangible benefits to countries if they want to stay onboard.”
Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Safety Advisor, told journalists on Air Force One Taiwan will not participate in the launch of the IPEF but Washington wants to strengthen its economic relations with Taiwan.
Biden will be in Tokyo for the second Quad summit in person on Tuesday.
Although the concerns of all four countries are shared, the Quad group as a whole has not been overtly anti China. This is mainly due to Indian sensibilities.
Analysts believe that India’s strong security links with Russia and unwillingness to condemn their invasion of Ukraine will prevent any strong joint statement.
At their last summit in March, Quad leaders agreed that what has happened to Ukraine should not be allowed to happen in the Indo-Pacific — a reference to the threat posed to Taiwan by China, though Beijing was not mentioned by name.
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