Demonstrators outside the
U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur protest the visit
of Secretary of State
John Kerry a week before he is scheduled to arrive as
a stand-in for President
Obama, grounded over the U.S. budget deadlock.
Obama's Canceled Asia Visit May Mean End of U.S. Dominance (The
Jakarta Globe, Indonesia)
"If Obama decides not to attend APEC in Bali, then China
could steal the show, and this could be a pivotal start of greater influence in
the future ... For now, U.S. domestic political reality hinders the country's
capacity and outreach to make its presence and influence felt far from home. This
could be the beginning of the end of American global dominance."
--
Dr. BantartoBandoro, Indonesian
Defense University
While America is away, China will play?: China President Xi Jinping with Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Oct. 2. Beijing looks sure to steal the limelight as President Obama sits out two important Asia summits to deal with yet another budget struggle with a faction of Republicans.
Nusa
Dua, Bali: The absence of U.S. President Barack Obama
at two key Asia meetings next week could be a pivotal moment for China's
dominance in the region, analysts here said, raising questions about America's
capacity to extend its influence to other parts of the world when forced to
grapple with problems at home.
On
Thursday, Obama canceled his attendance in the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) forum taking place in Bali from Oct. 7-8, and the East
Asia Summit in Brunei later in the week, blaming the U.S. government shutdown
for canceling a tour designed to advance a central prong of his foreign policy.
Instead,
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will take Obama's place so Obama can stay
home to focus on the budget gridlock in Washington that has triggered the first
government shutdown in 17 years. Obama was scheduled to meet Russian President
Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, among others, at
the summits.
Two
of his main purposes would have been to discuss the Syria crisis with Putin and
hold talks on a maritime code of conduct for disputed territories in the oil-
and gas-rich South China Sea.
“We
are disappointed,” Indonesian Information Minister TifatulSembiring said in Bali. “I think the summit will go
on. There is a long-term plan, but without Obama, you can imagine how
disappointed we are. We could hardly have imagined that he wouldn't come.”
Indonesian
analysts said China looked to dominate the two meetings, and would come up with
initiatives, while boosting its aid, investment and trade with countries in
Asia.
“Obama's
cancelation clearly gives China the upper hand over the United States in their
rivalry for influence in the region,” said AleksiusJemadu, dean of the PelitaHarapan University's
School of Social and Political Sciences.
He
said that while it is too soon to declare “the end of American hegemony in Asia,"
with Obama's failure to attend the meetings, U.S. allies in the region would
question the seriousness behind the rhetoric of an Asia focus by the Obama Administration.
“It
may be too soon to say that because of this setback it is the end of American
empire as we know it, because there are many parameters that need to be
reviewed. However, we notice that there is something wrong with the way the
U.S. runs its economy. I think at least in Asia, the signs of a loss of U.S. influence
are already apparent, while China is aggressively investing and trading with other
countries in the region,” Aleksius said.
Indonesian
President SusiloBambangYudhoyono and Chinese President Xi Jinping
on Thursday witnessed the signing of 23 new business agreements valued at
almost $33 billion between the two nations, during Xi's first trip to Southeast
Asia since being elected [by other Communist Party officials].
On
Friday, soon after Obama canceled his trip to Kuala Lumpur, Xi and Malaysian
Prime Minister NajibRazak
held a meeting with both countries set to elevate bilateral ties to a
“comprehensive strategic partnership,” aiming at boosting military cooperation
and nearly tripling two-way trade to $160 billion by 2017.
In
recent years, China has been steadily expanding its regional influence. Confronted
with this, Obama in 2011 announced an "Asia pivot" just as Washington
brought wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to an end.
Malaysia
is one of several Asian nations that competes with China over territorial claims
in the resource-rich South China Sea, but it has kept a lower profile in the
dispute than the Philippines or Vietnam, and downplays regional concerns over
Beijing's rising military clout.
Dr.
BantartoBandoro of Indonesian
Defense University said China could fill the void left by the domestically-preoccupied
United States.
“If
Obama decides not to attend APEC in Bali, then China could steal the show, and
this could be a pivotal start of greater influence in the future,” he said.
“For now, U.S. domestic political reality hinders the country's capacity and
outreach to make its presence and influence felt far from home. This could be
the beginning of the end of American global dominance.”
