Though the United States has been pushing its allies in the Indo-Pacific region to help it contain China, this policy is both misguided and unlikely to succeed.

At the recent Shangri-La Dialogue, three competing narratives of the Indo-Pacific came to light. Which will become the governing paradigm of this increasingly important region?

The U.S. military has renamed its Pacific Command, introducing the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) to the world. But is this a simple name change or a more significant gesture that could signal changes in the Indian-Pacific alliance structure?

The “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy is aimed at deterring Chinese coercion by deepening alliances and strategic partnerships. To this end, Japan has enhanced military cooperation with partners such as the United States and India to balance against Beijing’s more assertive foreign and security policy under Xi Jinping.

Is the Trump administration’s strategy a credible threat to the Belt and Road Initiative?

The NSS indicates a turn towards a more confrontational United States.

The United States must live with the reality that China will continue to grow stronger; any attempt to curtail China’s influence will come to naught, be it engagement or containment or “congagement”.

President Donald Trump said he wanted to seek new partnerships and cooperation with allies during this Asian tour. However, “America First” is Trump’s one and only strategy, with addressing the trade deficit as its ultimate goal. The “Indo-Pacific” is a secondary priority, and the concept was proposed to help boost President Trump’s low approval rating.

The convergence of strategic threats to India, and the legacy of failed American policy in the region, have seen the resurgence of the once defunct Quadrilateral Security grouping. In doubling its efforts to serve as a regional counterweight to Chinese influence to ensure the sustained freedom of the seas and to stymie any Chinese efforts to gain control over crucial sea lanes to potentially block free trade, India would signal its leadership role.

China should start building a community with a shared future for mankind from the Asia Pacific.