Chinese President Xi Jinping is making his country’s presence more felt across the Indo-Pacific region by testing U.S. allies on sensitive issues, as Donald Trump’s attention is taken up elsewhere.
From sending warships off Australia’s coast for unprecedented shooting drills to flying a record number of “gray zone” balloons around Taiwan, and putting pressure on Thailand over human rights issues, Beijing is ramping up efforts to project power in the region. China also issued a strongly worded warning on Taiwan to Tokyo — which doesn’t officially recognize Taipei — against “colluding” with separatists.
Trump’s sudden embrace of Russia, skepticism of NATO allies and tariffs that punish friendly nations have fueled concerns about the U.S. as a reliable security partner in Asia, where Washington has for decades provided a buffer to Beijing. The Republican leader has asked Taiwan to pay more for its defense, questioned Washington’s security pact with Japan, saying “we have to protect them, but they don’t have to protect us,” and hit U.S. allies South Korea and Australia with metals duties.
