Biden in late push to boost Indo-Pacific ties sends three pacts to Congress
Associated PressJAN 20
Biden Bolsters Indo-Pacific Ties in Final Days of Presidency
Above: US Pres. Joe Biden delivers a speech at the State Department's Harry S. Truman headquarters building Jan. 13, 2025. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
What the Biden administration has done to solidify ties with nations in the Indo-Pacific, in the face of threats from North Korea and China, is amazing. At the outset, relations between the US and the region were at an all-time low, but now the one-on-one relationships have strengthened and the overlaps in those dealings have made the US and those nations more secure.
Republican narrative
The Biden administration shouldn't be patting itself on the back. While Indo-Pacific relations are important, they're miniscule compared to the administration's failures dealing with the Ukraine-Russia war, the war in Gaza, and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan — the latter of which was terrible for US standing and emboldened America's enemies.