After moves by France, Germany and the Netherlands, the introduction of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific should come as no surprised. Two questions emerge: Is this new version of the strategy a follow-up to the United States or an independent strategic consideration? And how should China respond?

An abundance of examples show that countries in Southeast Asia want to develop beneficial relationships with both the U.S. and China. Thus, the U.S. hedge against China in the region is doomed to fail, despite the best efforts of visiting American officials.

Russia’s influence once stretched from the edge of Western Europe to the battlefields of Vietnam. Surpassed economically by the West and China, Russian foreign policy sees opportunity in Southeast Asia to restore its global reach.

The world should thank Joe Biden for being straight about the aim of the America’s intervention in Afghanistan. It’s yet another wake-up call that reveals the truth about America’s approach to foreign policy. Uncle Sam will always be for himself.

By hastily withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden has made a grave mistake, or so many argue. US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, for example, has called the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country an “even worse sequel to the humiliating fall of Saigon in 1975.” That sequel, top US generals, conservatives, and even some liberals predict, will be characterized by the resurgence of transnational terrorism.

Many challenges lie ahead in China-U.S. relations with regard to Afghanistan. The U.S. will most likely perceive any Chinese policies as an effort to gain the upper hand in geopolitical competition. Meanwhile, China is concerned that the chaos could spill over into Central Asia.

The lack of self-reflection in the United States over the haphazard retreat from Afghanistan is nothing short of stunning. President Joe Biden’s plummeting approval ratings, a fourth wave of the pandemic, inflation and southern border security could combine to wreak havoc for Democrats in the coming midterm elections.

The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan is not as much of a game-changer for China as some may think. The Afghan people ferociously defend their sovereignty against foreign incursions, and future complications cannot be ruled out.

For a decade, the focus of the United States has shown a high degree of continuity, starting with George W. Bush and followed by Barack Obama, Donald Trump and now Joe Biden. But America is now paying greater attention to detail and adding new features to its geostrategic approach.

After two decades, the United States’ war in Afghanistan is finally coming to an end in late August. Though he is defending his decision, President Joe Bi