When Elephants Fight: Is the U.S. Pivot Good for Asia?

Through new partnerships such as the Quad, new defense arrangements such as AUKUS and strengthened military ties to Japan, India and others, the U.S. is finally adding substance to its long-discussed pivot to Asia. Washington says its actions are intended to preserve freedom and prosperity in the region; China says they are driving the world toward a cold and possibly even hot war. How can Asian nations shape the new U.S. strategy to produce what they want above all else: stability?
Nisid Hajari, Editorial Board, Bloomberg LP moderates a panel with The Hon. Kevin Rudd AC, 26th Prime Minister of Australia; President and CEO, Asia Society; President, Asia Society Policy Institute, Bilahari Kausikan, Former Permanent Secretary of Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Chairman, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore and Merit Janow, Dean, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.
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[@Myway0107]

When you hear this guys talking, it sounds like US is an angel, but when you look at the troubled areas in the world there has always been US behind them.

[@wyodragon4325]

USA is not a civilised country. It is a vulgar, barbaric gang of thieves and murderers that uses brute force to steal the wealth of other countries.

[@henli-rw5dw]

China didn't really get serious in space until they get kicked out of the space station. Didn't get serious on high tech until the ban on technology. Didn't get serious on arms race, until the pivot to Asia. I think all US is doing is uniting and mobilizing the Chinese to work even harder on this competition. On the flip side, I don't US energized over this. I see this as a pointless competition. Lots of opportunities will be lost.

[@Mr-hn2bp]

China has never been admitted into the American space station project and is still being denied. However, USA is trying to join the Chinese space program. What an irony.

[@november9700]

@@Mr-hn2bpThe US is a shame for its so called Value, US has No value at all

[@greatasia606]

They didn't mention 1997 Asia financial crisis that was engineered by the West to bring down East Asia, which was rising very fast back then. It was China that had stepped forward to hold Asia together and prevented a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the region. Since then China has made it very clear to the US and its allies that they will have to be prepared to fight the Chinese if they want to start wars in this region.

[@wyodragon4325]

What is commonly called 'the west' are in fact a small group of uncivilized countries that, for 500 years, have been using brute force to steal the wealth of non-western countries. They should be called gangs of thieves and murderers because that is what they really are. They started their careers as gangs of thieves and murderers in 1501 when Spain sent its conquistadors to steal gold and silver that belonged to the Mayans and the Aztecs and brought them to Spain. Seeing how easy it was to steal the wealth of other countries, other European countries, namely, Portugal, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy followed the same path. They used their navies to scour the oceans and wherever they found a piece of land, they invaded it by force and stole whatever wealth they could find. In order to be more thorough in their thefts, they left squatters in the lands that they found. They called their squatters 'colonizers'. In fact, their squatters' role was to organize the theft of the wealth of the lands they were squatting. In order to carry out their low-life thieving activity, they did not hesitate to kill as many people as they found necessary and even more. How much wealth have they stolen over 500 years? Probably, the equivalent of hundreds of trillions of dollars. The two countries that they robbed most were China and India because China and India were the two richest countries at that time. How many people did they kill? Probably, hundreds of millions of people. They even managed to kill almost the entire population of Mayans, Aztecs and the natives of North America and Australia. These are genocides. And they took for themselves North America and Australia, and turned them into gangs of thieves and murderers like themselves. One of their offshoots, namely, USA became even stronger, more beastly and more barbaric than themselves.

[@andtam008]

2 years after the 97 financial crisis, a Korean economist said, "Before the crisis, the foreign capital only held less than 5% shares of our top 20 companies. Now after the crisis, the foreign capital is holding close to 50% shares of our top 20 companies."

[@muhammadsani8079]

@@wyodragon4325 Thanks for this concise and very rich history. You have summarized the WEST savagely cruel history of killings and dehumanization of people.

[@jxma5603]

The world needs UN not US to keep peace, stability and prosperity!

[@slobodanpaunovic3834]

Looks like freedom is spreading in Aisia from Middle East. God help Aisia.

[@leekenghoon]

Assume that China has not arisen. What do you think the US would be doing? Can any Asian country act freely? Would Asians have to bow down to US and its ally like Australia? Run free and wild? Remember Indonesia? Australians would be rampaging all over Papua?

[@sword7872]

The US was determined not to let any other country overtake it. The whole system was set up to counter any rival Hence Japan got taken down when its gdp grew rapidly. So the US is trying very hard to bring China down but it knows it is more difficult to do unless other countries help it.

[@yaoypl]

Singapore: We don't want to choose a side. U.S: So you want to have your cake and eat it too? Singapore: Why can't we all just get along? U.S: No. You are either with us or against us. Singapore: Ouch!

[@tedchandran]

Jai Hinduja. Singapore should just rub and scratch the backs of their Anglo Lord protector on the right side like hosting a base, whatever. However they should be shrew enough not to follow the Bidahari advice to follow as Satrapies into War.

[@gregwang8628]

Oh so either with or against? Who is dictating?

[@nutayahoo5000]

According to Singapore: US Commerce Secretary went over to pitch a new trade deal that does not have a deal behind it 🤣 now what can we make of that statement?

[@ricchmus]

U.S.A : Either you support the Whiteman's way or you are against us!

[@medialcanthus9681]

Why do they need to pivot ? Just look after their own country, their poor, their covid deaths, their truck drivers , their port organisation, their infrastructure their rising prices, the oil problems, and leave Asia alone , please.

[@ckong676]

Good for Asia? US just used this to stiffer China development and if the surrounding countries can’t see this then these countries deserve to stay undeveloped

[@denisby5187]

In 1997,when Beijing-HongKong reunification took place, Beijing happily gave Hong-Kong a giant-gift for her returning dearful sibling with $ US 25 billion dollars .

[@jinwang4226]

Wonder if it ever occurs to Kevin Rudd that he may know nothing about Beijing while walking around proudly claiming to be a prominent China expert. Is it just me who sense quite a bit of hubris here?

[@Capt-tn9be]

I agree. Just because he can speak Mandarin does make him a China expert.

[@nutayahoo5000]

He goes around fooling those westerners that he is a China expert 😄

[@seaskyguy]

His only skill is that he can speak Chinese.

[@paulmcgrory5165]

He is a US stooge speaking Mandarin. He is currently trousering money from the US think tanks.

[@erichan728]

@@paulmcgrory5165 I totally agree!

[@tedchandran]

Jai Hinduja. It seems that the 3 Anglos want to open another new front for their destabilisation in their interests. However after the chaotic and disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan, we would want to know whether the task for the regime change of the 7 Ummahs as mentioned by General Welsey Clarke now completed and done?

[@yuchenliu2676]

It is annoying to see you putting 'jai hinduja' on top of every comment even though they're irrelevant to India.

[@Mr-hn2bp]

All Anglos? What is the one wearing glasses?

[@Mr-hn2bp]

The Desert War was started with cheating and lying. Iraq is still in ruin after decades, and no admittance of guilt, crimes and no apologies ever issued. This is far worse than that of Afghanistan.

[@greatasia606]

To bring supply chains out of China and to your friends and allies in the region? Mr Rudd is being shallow and uninformed, Chinese companies have been bringing supply chains investments to ASEAN on massive scale. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam are major suppliers for the Chinese companies.

[@myhhlim]

Kevin Rudd, how about China and Russia send a force to Carribbean so as to balance and provide stability. Obvously, you hypothesis is flawed.

[@paulmcgrory5165]

When he says balance. He means his bank balance. A shill for the US.

[@xushenxin]

I had enough of this guy

[@k.k.c8670]

Bilahari is steep in his colonial subject mindset still. He is part of a generation that doesn't know anything else and lacks imagination in the new era. He came of age when the internet and digitalisation were either non-existent or nascent and everything western was superior. As they say, past performance does not guarantee future results. It's best if he hands the thinking and talking to younger people who understand where the world is going, not where it has been.

[@1349793]

Compare Bidahari to Kshore Mahbubani. One whose opinion is only sought by domestic news media or those overseas with a pro-American agenda and the other who is in demand at most Asian and Western media, prestigious and social media forums and you know who is the master on the regional geopolitical issues and who is behaving like a shill for western insterest.

[@k.k.c8670]

@@1349793 are you saying Bilahari isn't sought after as much as the otter except from the audience you pointed out (pro American and domestic) ?

[@1349793]

@@k.k.c8670 Go check on foreign YT and other SM platforms. I only see Bilihari interviewed by The Australian once in , what else an anti-China article and he acceded to their faithfully to their script.

[@k.k.c8670]

@@1349793 didn't think about this but now that you mention it, quite true. Bilahari isn't that much in demand

[@zhongshansun1439]

Communist China is the best example of the West's Supremacy. Communism is as western as anything. Carl Marx was born a German Jew. He was a Londoner who lived and died in Great Britain capital, London. Lenin is a white Russian.

[@emmawang1999]

The USA has been number 1 for so long that it has developed a sense of invincibility. Most of the American elites could not even entertain the possibility that it could lose to China. But if you are clear minded, American loss is inevitable. 1.4 billion people vs 350 million people.

[@greatasia606]

AUKUS?! You meant the alliance of the three Anglo-Saxon countries? By the mid of this century, China will be the world's largest economy and de facto leader. These three countries will have no choice but to transform from white Christian countries to multicultural and multiracial nations.

[@samliew6610]

The Imperialists Aggressors

[@Mr-hn2bp]

They are all grey, not white long ago. Britain has a huge population composted of peoples from former colonies and they are prolific margining in the British. Australia has a relatively small white population to start with and white is no longer majority. USA annexed huge Mexican land masses together with inhabitants, made the Philippines a colony and has large Phillipino immigrant population, as well as Hawaii. USA has accepted refugees and nonwhite immigrants as well.

[@AyY846]

Rudd is so dangerous with his TW view. I'm glad the guy is no longer in power, but talking is still chillingly annoying

[@tedchandran]

Jai Hinduja. Those Singaporeans like Bidahari are worst acting more like the new Gordon Chang sounding boards to the US geopolitical neocons.

[@Capt-tn9be]

To me, this guy is a hypocrite and I can be seen right through him. Today's global contest is all about the old western colonial powers versus the rest and they (the west) are playing it anyway they can (lie, cheat and steal) to try and stay in power.

[@tinatang1]

I disagree with Kevin Rudd that the current pivot to Asia is stabilising! China is a permanent part of Asia and Asia has been having undisturbed peace in that China has not interfered with the internal politics of all the Asian countries big and small. In contrast the US has been creating distability via the NED /CIA in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and even Malaysia.

[@rodolfosaluto8344]

As anyone seen the Pivot ? I have lost the Pivot. As anyone seen the Pivot? I am looking for the Pivot. I found a dollar, maybe that is where the Pivot was.

[@greatasia606]

The QUAD?! Mr Rudd might want to tell his fellow Australians that China is going for a long-term deal with Australia. So, Mr Morrison should start to prepare a long-term economic development plan for Australia that does not include Chinese market.

[@Mr-hn2bp]

Who can consume the minerals and coal and gas export of Australia? Indonesia would love to compete rather than consume. Losing half of the market would spell bankruptcy. Period.

[@nutayahoo5000]

What of the QUAD 😄 China and Russia just formalized a military alliance.

[@ricchmus]

Pivot to Asia, did anyone asked the Asians what they want?

[@greatasia606]

What would happen if Russia were to join the European Union? The US and its Anglo-Saxon allies would allow this to happen? The best way to destroy or slow down the development of a country is through wars, for examples Syria and Iraq. They used Ukraine as a pawn to contain Russia. In Asia, they have been trying to create wars to slow down the development of China; they had tried to start wars between Japan and China; India and China; the Philippines and China; as well as Vietnam and China. The US wanted small scale wars such has those fought between Pakistan and India in the past. Ideally, it should be a small scale war over Diaoyu islands between Japan and China. The Chinese side has been very candid to those countries, including Singapore, that they can provoke a war, but they won't be able to decide how and where it will be fought. Japanese have been made known that if they want war with China, then it will be fought on the mainland of Japan, but not in water around the Diaoyu islands.

[@haihuaxu6499]

not only is US hostile to China, it also distabilizes the Asian region, in terms of both economic and military perspectives. US is impotent to change the Asia, from past to today, and tomorrow.

[@erichan728]

What a joke that their saying "pivot to Asia" is to stabilize Asia.

[@taratankitaoka178]

AMERICA JUST SHOWED HIS GREEDY AMERICA THAT WAS NOT SHOWED CLEARLY.

[@greatasia606]

What would happen when a Christian priest explains to his followers what is enlightenment in Buddhist teachings. Mr Rudd is that "Christian priest" who has always been asked to explain China to his western folks. Ha ha ha!

[@vichitvideo6041]

He seems to be less objective than before.

[@greatasia606]

The supply chain issue?! After the COVID-19 pandemic, investors will have to think very hard before putting the money in India and the USA.

[@greatasia606]

The hard truth: US: Hey Singapore, we are moving out of the Philippines, so you will have to make room for us. Singapore: Sir, can we reject you? US: We don't take NO for an answer. Singapore, Sir, yes sir. How can small Singapore say no to the US, especially when your bubble economy and high property prices are sustained by free US$ printed by the USA?

[@k.k.c8670]

You do know that Clark in the Philippines was a full fledged military base and that there is no such thing as an America base in Singapore? So you know, many navies use Singapore for ship repair, logistics etc or just to dock.. Yes, including China PLAN

[@bishwarajpleasedontsendany4645]

Without ad visitor advertiser only recommended thank you

[@abdiosman4770]

It,s good topic

[@abbkell1195]

After the last five years fear factors, global crisis and inflation, launching a new economy sounds agood idea. How many countries will perceive this new economy is a tough question. As a result the next world stages will be far tougher than the last four decades if not beyond

[@silversurfergw]

it is good for possible nuclear exchange within this decade.

[@abbkell1195]

Naturally, any where you go strategic stability is better achieved by those who are inside the neighborhood than by strangers who have no idea what they are getting into. The same applies to geoeconomic stabilities and geopolitical stabilities. By allowing strangers, all of the above usually turn into chaos even deeper discontent and mistrust among the same people of the same race even customs

[@erichan728]

Very true! Let's put this question into perspective: a strong Asia will be at whose benefit? a chaotic Asia will ne at whose benefit? 1997 financial crisis is a good reference.

[@delonthomas5049]

Janaury 6 .2021 can usa explain to the world what happen after Trump heard he lost the election ?

[@thomasho4825]

None of those guys talked about a real thing they really don’t know what the Hecks were a problem today they need to have a long enough who is the real problem

[@Erik-rp1hi]

"Effective America and Taiwan and Allied deterrence", K. Rudds statement on stopping China invading and causing war is spot on. ASEAN nations could have the larger percentage of policy in this direction instead of worrying about offending China.

[@graceantonio3573]

Ah😃 INDEED THANK U🙂 GOD BLESS U😇 FOR THIS OUTSTANDING DISCUSSION!! THE THREE "RESOURCE" PERSONS IN THE PANEL HAVE AN EXCELLENT UNDERSTANDING & THEIR POINTS OF VIEW SO INTELLIGENTLY WEIGHED & INSPIRING! I LIKE WHAT THE LADY SAID "A POSITIVE AGENDA" IS NEEDED, & FOR THE MAN IN GLASSES FROM SINGAPORE THAT "A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA IS GOOD TO BE PURSUED & WITH AMERICA'S PRESENCE AS WELL" & RUDD OF AUSTRALIA AGREES! ALELUAH! IT BOILS DOWN TO WHAT I BELIEVE THAT A BALANCING ACT BETWEEN EAST & WEST IS GOOD FOR HUMANITY! MAY GODLY WISDOM LIGHT & GUIDE THE WORLD LEADERS, MAY HUMANITY ACHIEVE HARMONY IN DIVERSITY. SO HELP US GOD 😇😁😇😄😇😃😇🙂

[@Mr-hn2bp]

You need to be on solid ground, not being up in air balancing on a tight rope. How long can you endure?

[@Mr-hn2bp]

Consider the Wall Street vs rest of the population in USA, then consider USA with rest of the world. What is the insight?

[@timothychung4811]

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), China surpassed USA last year...

[@zhongshansun1439]

Total DFI. US is No. 1. by a country mile. US's investments in Singapore is more than all their invest in India, China and S. Korea Combined. China is not even the top 10 In terms of DFI.

[@paulmcgrory5165]

@@zhongshansun1439 Because it is an Imperialist country. PRC is merely merchantalist. Its an irrelevant measure in Asia.

[@zhongshansun1439]

@@paulmcgrory5165 You got it the wrong way. The Imperial Communist China. Annexation of South China Sea. The warmongering Imperial Chinese Communist Party ICCP is all about War, War with India, War with Vietnam, War with Koreans and Americans. War with the Russians, War with Taiwan and even War with the Chinese people. Trade and diplomatic coercion, suppression of all dissent, repression of all freedom, oppression of its people. Genocides against Ugyhurs, tibetians, Qigong practioners and basically every Chinese citizen. Screw the Commies!

[@paulmcgrory5165]

@@zhongshansun1439 Since WWII US has waged 23 major wars and has bout 900 military bases throughout the world. PRC has fought three major wars in the same period and has one military base outside its borders. You are a clown. LOL

[@zhongshansun1439]

@@paulmcgrory5165 Well, The facts shows that Everyone benefitted from Pax-Americana. In fact, China benefitted most from the American Peace. Lone Live Pax-Americana.

[@garykemple1827]

That is way u guys can read it ok it's not true thay having my movement thay controling body I m was atac from them

[@garykemple1827]

U dink this right to use this to futurhow are we going to tell are child abous this oral in futur

[@Erik-rp1hi]

Biden must make sure national interest are the goal when corporate goals oppose national interest. Call it tough love.

[@blancablanca7931]

Hey US, you are 1 million miles away from Asia. Get your ass out from there!

[@user-db1qk5gf7z]

Lot of US hate in the comments here.

[@Msquar11]

No one Chinese is present or someone of a different perspective. Just a one sided views of people that only benefit America interests

[@garykemple1827]

It's bing mess to let world to see way are u guy use theis for future how we don't new hou red this durty job

[@garykemple1827]

U need to stop to this new before it's to late were are dai

[@garykemple1827]

Are u guys working with David my father at school real crying for this no I'm not answer to u guys it's tell me all laid

[@terencechaiwat6750]

China's business is business, America's business is war. So how can these people say, with a straight face that US's focus on Asia is a stabilising factor? When Haris declared in Vietnam that "We're BACK!", almost ALL Asians recoiled in horror. US presence in East Asia can mean only one thing - war, mayhem, carpet bombing, chemical spraying, genocide, destruction of infrastructure , regime change, civilian deaths in the millions, a flotilla of refugees with no where to go. See what Australia is doing to asylum seekers registered with the UN? The West talk of values and then their actions speak the diametrically opposite. It will finally after 1 or 2 decades of atrocities, end up with evacuating helicopters frantically lifting of flat roofs with desperate people clinging on the windows. Why? America why? N.B. "Freedom of Speech"? Let's see what happens to the above post. In this context please free Assange, Hale etc... and close Guantanamo...and you'll redeem freedom of speech and Human rights at one go.

[@garykemple1827]

Stop this it's not right thing to do in public we don't want this for are futur this descating futur u guys doing to people

[@ronaldphoong]

If US didn't do good for the Arab countries, what good do you see US for Asia.