No. of Recommendations: 9
No, this was Trump. It wasn't just leaving the trade pact. I thought that was a horrible deal. We abandoned the region, and China was able to step in and assert more influence. Had we not left, they wouldn't have.
Japan responded with an increase in their defensive posture, new weapons development, and expanding their definition of "home defense" (their forces are only supposed to be home defense). Japan could do that. The Philippines, Vietnam, and other nations in the region really can't.
Biden has reestablished ties, and reasserted our commitment to the region. You may think him weak, but on China he is doing vastly better than Trump did.
