In his bid for the US presidency in 2020, President Joe Biden campaigned on a restorationist agenda towards “rescuing US foreign policy” from his predecessor Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ approach. Under the Trump presidency, that approach had devolved into ‘America Alone’ on the back of the open derision of Washington underwriting the security of its allies. In Asia, however, Trump’s ‘America First’ impulses stood tempered in view of his administration’s sustained confrontational posture against China and an emergent US bipartisan consensus on addressing the strategic threat posed by Beijing’s rising influence in the region. Under the aegis of his administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which interlinked the destinies of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Trump built on Barack Obama’s ‘Pivot/Rebalance to Asia’ policy.
Remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Michael George DeSombre
for Indo-Pacific Business Forum Panel Discussion
“Business Opportunities and Outlook in the Mekong Countries”
Introduction
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the panel discussion ‘Business Opportunities and Outlook in the Mekong Countries.’
I am Michael George DeSombre, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand. It is a privilege to join you today as part of the Indo-Pacific Business Forum, the premier U.S.-sponsored business event in Asia. This year, the Forum is co-hosted by the Vietnamese Government, and I would like to thank the organizers and hosts for putting on such a successful event under difficult circumstances.