US president Joe Biden recently visited Asia in an effort to strengthen relationships in the region, most notably meeting with leaders of the “Quad” alliance of America, Japan, India and Australia. This group of like-minded states represents a 21st-century diplomatic mechanism which is growing in importance in lieu of an Asian Nato.
Biden’s trip coincided with a visit by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to Fiji, as part of Beijing’s so-far unsuccessful attempts to gather a coalition of Pacific Island states. China has been wooing nations in the Pacific for some time, as it attempts to expand its diplomatic reach. Most notably, a security deal with the Solomon Islands might open the door to Chinese military presence there.
All these efforts illustrate the kind of reshaped global order that we can expect to see in the future. The new security landscape is of pacts between small numbers of states that produce powerful security groupings with quite specific focus in deterring other great powers. Welcome to a new era of micro alliances in international politics.
