This week, during a trip to Southeast Asia to attend a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unveiled a US$113 million budget for Indo-Pacific development.
The funds for a region which includes East, Southeast and South Asia, was so small that it is hardly deserved mention, let alone a high-profile announcement, according to some observers. The investment includes security assistance and comes days after the US Senate passed a defense spending bill worth more than US$700 billion.
Unsurprisingly, the announcement, which fits in perfectly with US President Donald Trump’s “America First” brand, opened another opportunity for China to criticize Washington.
“ASEAN members are not sure what the US Indo-Pacific strategy entails. The US announced only an investment of $113 million, which also includes India. The amount seems only sufficient to build an overpass perhaps in the center of Mumbai,” China’s state-run Global Times wrote on Friday.
“Washington is using a strategic gimmick. It is insincere about pushing forward economic prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region. What it wants is something else,” the commentary continued.
ASEAN member countries, while welcoming US influence in the region as a counterbalance to China’s growing clout, have every reason to be skeptical of the Trump administration’s strategy, the article continued.
“What ASEAN saw was the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the US had already agreed to, and the White House’s full-blown trade war. ASEAN members are worried about being caught in the crosshair or hit by Trump’s trade tariff ‘bullets.’ Both Singapore and Malaysia lowered their GDP growth expectations for 2019 amid the trade war. Indonesia is also worried as it too has a trade surplus with the US.”
While Pompeo denied that the funds pledged were seeking to rival Beijing’s investments, the contrast between China’s US$900 billion commitment to Asian countries cannot be ignored. Despite the ridicule in China’s state media, Beijing was quick to welcome the investment, expressing hope that the US, Japan and Australia would increase investment.
Money talks. No money no influence. LOL
This is an interesting and somewhat balanced article, but I continue to be struck by how Western media always have to say "state media" or "Party controlled" media about any Chinese media they quote. Do people think Mr.Xi vets every article? I don’t think US major media stray very far from a particular "party line," themselves — except the party line appears to be that of the "deep state" party: vague but iintense enmity toward Russia and China, and little mention of the many hundreds of thousands of people killed in wars started, supported or provoked by the US.
The US can spend US$115 million a day in the next 7,830 days (more than 21 years) to match China’s US$900 billion commitment to the region.
Will Trump live that long to see his Indo-Pacific come to fruition? Or will he see Sino-Atlantic before he drops dead?
Maybe Trump is going struck a deal he’s own way ….agree to spend $$$
but U pay and Trump claim’s it as he’s !! By the looks on how he blakmail’s he’s contrapart …then yes next day no !!!
It’s the Global Times dude LOL…what do you think they are, if not part of the prpaganda arm of the CCP?