A senior White House official expressed concern on Friday that the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump will push some Indo-Pacific countries into China’s embrace if it diverges from the policies that President Joe Biden pursued in the region.
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National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made the comment as part of a media round table held to sum up the Biden administration’s “enduring commitment” to the region, just 10 days before Mike Waltz – Trump’s pick to fill Sullivan’s role – enters the White House.
“I do worry that questions about America’s reliability and staying power with our allies and partners will lead countries to say, ‘maybe we need to hedge with China’,” Sullivan said.
“That is a genuine concern, and so my hope is that when the new administration comes in, they a clear message of continuity and saying power and commitment … and that they’ll want to build upon the strategic position of the United States in the region.”
Sullivan spoke after a series of Trump statements indicating that he will seek an aggressively expansive foreign policy that shows little regard for the sovereignty of some US allies, including a suggestion that Canada become America’s 51st state and an ambiguous stance on the defence of Ukraine.
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Trump has also taken an increasingly critical stance towards other mutual defence agreements, even suggesting in a campaign speech that Russia should attack members of Nato who had not met their defence spending commitments.