With eye on China, U.S. Democrats want more resources for Indo-Pacific

Washington must commit more diplomatic and security resources to the Indo-Pacific to push back against China as Beijing seeks to create a regional sphere of influence and become the world's most influential power, U.S. Senate Democrats said on Thursday. The majority Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued the report - seen by Reuters before its release - almost exactly a year after President Joe Biden's administration released its strategy to modernize alliances in the region, strengthen emerging partnerships and invest in relationships. The committee's chairman, Senator Robert Menendez, is expected to discuss the report at a hearing on Thursday where senior diplomat Wendy Sherman will testify on China policy. The Senate report says that vision is "commendable," but gives recommendations as to how the U.S. government should sharpen the aims of the strategy and do more to ensure there are enough resources available to back up its efforts. "Despite four successive administrations identifying Asia as a priority region for U.S. attention and assistance, none have made the necessary tradeoffs to ensure that sources are allocated in a manner commensurate with such prioritization," the report said. For example, the administration's foreign assistance request for the region for the fiscal year ending in September 2023 was $1.7 billion, or only 7.7% of the overall foreign assistance budget, even though the Indo-Pacific region accounts for more than half of the world's population, the report said. The United States is trying to reassert itself in the region after a period of uncertainty about its commitment to Asia under then-U.S. President Donald Trump, and concerted efforts by rival China to boost its own influence. The report said the Biden administration must significantly increase funding for diplomacy and development across the U.S. government and dedicate a larger portion of the Department of State operating budget and foreign assistance to the Indo-Pacific. Its recommendations include working closely with Congress, including providing a detailed list of its plans for implementing the Indo-Pacific Strategy and advancing economic integration with countries in the region, including prioritizing a meaningful trade program with Taiwan. A desire for a hard line in dealings with Beijing is one of the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the deeply divided U.S. Congress, with both Republicans and Biden's Democrats calling for increased efforts to counteract China's global influence. Tensions between the two countries have been especially high of late, most recently as the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon on Saturday for spying over U.S. territory. The appearance of the Chinese balloon last week caused political outrage in Washington and prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing that both countries had hoped would patch their frayed relations. Blinken would have arrived in Beijing on Sunday. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Don Durfee and Jonathan Oatis)

With eye on China, U.S. Democrats want more resources for Indo-Pacific

DISCOVER MORE

Brazil's monetary policy director leaves office amid government uncertainty over replacement

Dollar steady, yen falls as banking fears ease

Biden holds second democracy summit amid doubts over progress

Futures edge higher as SVB deal soothes bank fears

F1 champion Button feels the heat on NASCAR debut

US bank trading and deposits in focus after rollercoaster month

Mississippi faces more extreme weather after tornado kills 25

Economists expect US recession, above-target inflation this year

Egypt's central bank likely to hike interest rates by 3% - HSBC

UAE exchange firm Al Ansari raises $210mln in IPO

Saudi National Bank's chairman resigns; Al Ghamdi takes over

Will gold face more downside or upside after Fed's rate hike?

Banking turmoil: Fitch Solutions revise 2023 gold price forecast to $1,950 an ounce

India's Rahul Gandhi says he won't stop asking Modi questions

India's Rahul Gandhi loses parliament seat after conviction

Spain's PM easily defeats no-confidence motion brought by far right

Ethiopia says US warcrime allegations 'inflammatory', 'partisan'

New York City braces for Trump indictment after ex-president urges protests

LATEST VIDEO

VIDEO: LSE-listing will facilitate more funding opportunities for us, Dar Global CEO

ZAWYA COVERAGE

Near-term oil prices volatile; outlook still positive – UBS

Aramco to acquire 10% stake in China-listed Rongsheng Petrohemical

Saudi banks likely to remain profitable in 2023 – A&M

Kenya, South Africa airlines to finalise partnership strategy in 2024 to boost growth

Mideast Stocks: Gulf markets mostly subdued despite rising oil prices

Ramadan in Dubai: Here is where you will find the police's mobile cannon

Dubai Taxi announces trial of new electric vehicle from Skywell

UAE: Want to avoid wasting food this Ramadan? 7 ways to have a sustainable holy month

India's Oyo mulls cutting IPO size amid tech rout

THE BRI REPORT

China is reshaping the Belt and Road Initiative ahead of a post-pandemic era

DISCOVER MORE

LATEST VIDEO

ZAWYA NEWSLETTERS

ZAWYA COVERAGE