Trump’s Diplomatic Shake-Up Gives China Advantage In Asia-Pacific

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Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher

For a month now, a series of layoffs has been occurring at the United States State Department. This move, along with other measures implemented by President Donald Trump in foreign policy, could reduce the role of the US in the Asia-Pacific while strengthening China’s position in the region.

Planned since the beginning of Trump’s presidency, the State Department’s civil service layoffs were implemented last month. The layoffs included more than 1,300 employees. The State Department explained that the move was aimed at streamlining the federal bureaucracy and for the “effective use of taxpayer dollars.”

“The problem is not a lack of money or dedicated talent, but rather a system where everything takes too much time, costs too much money, involves too many individuals, and all too often ends up failing the American people,” a State Department statement said, adding that this is an effort “to address the steady growth of bureaucracy, duplication of function and capture by special interests that have hindered American foreign policy.”

Similar concerns about American taxpayer dollars were used to justify the closure of the US Agency for International Development.

In addition, the Trump team has eliminated more than 300 State Department offices or departments, including those dedicated to human rights, economic diplomacy, and climate change. The Office of Multilateral Affairs in East Asia has been eliminated, which means the unit responsible for establishing relations with the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been liquidated.

Obviously, such measures by the White House cannot please the American diplomatic community. The American Foreign Service Association issued a statement: “In less than six months, the US has shed at least 20 percent of its diplomatic workforce through shuttering of institutions and forced resignations. Losing more diplomatic expertise at this critical global moment is a catastrophic blow to our national interests.”

American television channels showed footage of fired employees tearfully leaving the US State Department building.

Foreign observers have noted that the Trump administration intends to abandon binding obligations to several countries in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, the Pentagon is studying whether to build nuclear submarines for Australia, as planned when the documents establishing the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) alliance were signed on September 15, 2021.

Trump’s policy of imposing reciprocal tariffs has dealt a significant blow to US relations with Japan, South Korea, India, and ASEAN countries. By weaponizing the trade balance, the US is pushing partners to multilateralize and abandon trade partnerships with the US.

Without being too ostentatious about its actions, the White House has cut aid to Asian countries. A report recently released by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee noted that the new cabinet has withdrawn $80 billion from multilateral aid programs. Among the programs the Trump administration has cut is the termination of funding for Fulbright University and similar education and training projects in Vietnam.

Trump’s policy, based on the slogan “America First,” is leading to a narrowing of the space in which Americans can act today in the Asia-Pacific region. Radio Free Asia has been shut down, and the Voice of America has been scaled back, while China has immediately added 80 new frequencies to its overseas broadcasts.

At last month’s ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened Asian countries with tariffs. Despite claiming that many ASEAN countries would receive better tariffs than other parts of the world, Rubio was handed a diplomatic rebuke by ASEAN foreign ministers, who declared that unilateral tariffs are counterproductive and “pose complex challenges to ASEAN’s economic stability and growth.”

At the same time, Chinese delegations and ASEAN members agreed to present their respective leaders with an updated free trade agreement that includes provisions for the digital and green economies. The parties adopted a five-year action plan to strengthen cooperation. They also agreed to accelerate negotiations on the completion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea by 2026. Recent agreements between China and ASEAN to expand cooperation in agriculture and digital services are worth mentioning.

Thanks to staff cuts at the US State Department under Trump, China now has the world’s largest foreign affairs agency, with 274 embassies in 176 countries.

It may sound odd, but the White House does not believe that the US is losing its position in the Asia-Pacific region. The Trump administration interprets China’s strengthening ties with ASEAN as the US freeing itself from multilateral responsibilities.

The Trump administration believes that the US will be stronger if such multilateral commitments do not constrain it. However, this will prove to be detrimental if the Trump administration’s main foreign policy goal is to contain China as the Asian Giant now has a greater space to occupy left by the departure of the US.

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