US State Department Declassifies China Strategy Document... "Supporting India to Contain China"

"Strengthening Military Support to India, Taiwan, etc."... China Containment
Hardline China Policy Likely to Continue Under Biden Administration

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of State has disclosed a classified document outlining an Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at strengthening support from India and key Asian regional allies to counter China. Considering that the U.S.'s tough stance on China has been bipartisan, there are expectations that diplomatic and military tensions with China will continue even after the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration.

According to Axios on the 12th (local time), the U.S. Department of State plans to release on the 13th a 70-page Indo-Pacific strategy document titled "Strategic Framework in the Indo-Pacific Region," which was originally drafted in February 2018. The document obtained by Axios is regarded as a fundamental strategic report on the Trump administration's hardline policy toward China, prioritizing China as the main country of concern, followed by North Korea.

The strategy document emphasizes that the U.S. should designate India as a counterbalance to China in the Indo-Pacific region and significantly expand military, intelligence, and diplomatic support to India. Specifically, it states that the U.S. will support India in key issues such as the Himalayan border disputes and water resource conflicts between India and China. It also raises the need to build international consensus on how China's industrial policies and unfair trade practices undermine the global trade system.

Alongside India, the importance of military support for Taiwan is also highlighted. In the event of regional conflicts, the document specifies the need for a U.S. defense strategy to establish a military containment line against China connecting Okinawa in Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. To this end, it calls for strengthening relations with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, developing military and asymmetric strategies for Taiwan, expanding U.S. intelligence and legal responses to counter Chinese intelligence activities within the U.S., and increasing intelligence sharing with allied countries.