In the past two decades, since China has emerged as a growing power in the eastern world, the US, Japan, and their European partners have embarked on containing China through different strategies. The US is trying to tame China in the Indo-pacific region by making afresh strategic arrangements with new her new partners such as India. India also sees China as the only hurdle in her way to becoming the only regional power, wherein China is one of the close allies of Pakistan and always sides Pakistan between the twin nuclear countries. The followers of international affairs might find a peculiar arrangement on the international landscape. The long-held estrangement between the gulf and middle eastern countries is taking a new shape amid the surging alliances. Moreover, Indo-pacific politics have changed the arena of brawls from that of South Asia to East Asia.
However, the predicament that China has inflicted on the world is her new political and economic model. This model contrary to the capitalists’ model of liberty and democracy has bourgeoned and become a paragon in the modern world. China’s effectively controlling of the pandemic, a successful expedition on the covid-19 crisis, and fast economic recovery are some examples of the efficacy of the Chinese model. Chinese economic prosperity has not only astounded the world, but her governance model is applauded across the corners, and perhaps that’s why the capitalists are concerned about the powerful emergence of China.
Being a champion of liberal democracy and capitalism, the US deems China as one of the impending threats to her long-held norms and values. The US, battling Chinese influence, has equivocally declared that the US would come to the defense of Taiwan if China attacked. Through the Taiwan straits, China has increased her sailing of warships and aircraft carriers to intimidate Taiwan and to indicate to the US that she should stay away from the island. Despite Chinese President Xi Jinping’s continuous warnings to Washington to stop selling weapons, the Trump administration has sold more than $18 billion worth of arms and millions of dollars to her de facto embassy in Taipei. Biden’s announcement was, even more, an acme of the Chinese predicament. Biden has affirmed the trumps administration policies regarding Taiwan and was the only president who invited Taiwan’s representatives to his presidential inauguration. During Biden’s government, the US started showing her forces near the Taiwan straits to mark her presence.
For the containment of China in the Indo-pacific region, the US and its allies are making one after another security arrangements and alliances to topple the growing influence of China. For the said purpose, a cooperative alliance known as Quad was forged in 2004. A destructing earthquake and tsunami hit India. The US, Australia, and Japan extended humanitarian assistance to India. The then Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh declared in a joint statement that India and Japan “with other like-minded countries can cooperate” on mutual interests. Thus, the four countries, India, Japan, Australia, and the US came together to martialize the dialogue. The Quad had two basic objectives, firstly; to promote connectivity, and to maintain the status-quo and security of the existing order. Secondly, containing China’s growing influence due to her Belt and Road Initiative, which posed threat to the interests of Quad members. The Quad was born for the first time in 2007 but later remained dormant until it was renegotiated and reestablished in 2017. Since then, a couple of meetings have taken place and Quad members are actively participating in the security dialogue to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific region.
Moreover, AUKUS is another US course of action against China. The US predicament has reached an extent that she betrayed her NATO ally – France – and entered a marine security pact with the UK and Australia. This security pact is an extension of marine nuclear technology to Australia: the US will help Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The agreement, however, was initially signed with France but for her growing influence in the pacific region, the US sidelined France and entered the security pact with the two countries. The pact also holds room for building military capability, cooperation in electronic warfare, cyber, artificial intelligence, and so on.
Furthermore, the US in order to contain China in Asia and the Middle East, established the I2U2, a group of four countries: India, Israel, the US, and the United Arab Emirates. The group held its first summit on 12 July in which all the leaders of the countries participated. The UAE is committed to investing $2 billion in India “to develop a series of integrated food parks across India”. Moreover, a renewable energy project of 300MW in India was also contained in the inaugural summit. For Israel and the US, a common threat of Iran could also be controlled by the I2U2. Through the group, Washington’s interests are served both in the Middle East and Asia.
For Pakistan, India’s growing influence in the international community should be a matter of concern. The former should learn to mold its foreign policy in such a way that the national interests are served as well as good relations are maintained with the US and China. Now it is high time for Pakistan to form foreign policy on democratic lines as based on elements contrary to the democratic norms have already marred Pakistani interests many a time in the past. The changing international political developments demand rational and interested based foreign policy.
