Don’t expect the US to scale back its Asia-Pacific military presence, analysts say
Trump may not have spelled out his South China Sea position but deployments are peaking and only likely to be maintained, according to observers
Amber Wangin BeijingandHayley Wongin Beijing
Published: 9:00pm, 22 Mar 2025
The US looks set to maintain rather than reduce its military presence in the Asia-Pacific under Donald Trump, given the persistent tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea, according to analysts at a leading security forum in Beijing.
As part of a panel discussion at Tsinghua University’s International Security and Strategy Forum on Friday, Sun Yun, director of the Stimson Centre’s China programme, said she did not see that the US would “cede its presence” in the Asia-Pacific.
“[When] we look at the Asia-Pacific, especially [the] West Pacific, where China traditionally sees as this is my neighbourhood … I don’t see that the US will in any way concede or cede its presence in the region,” she said.
“We can argue who’s really responsible for the heated tension in the South China Sea that has [been for] three, four years under the Biden administration. But I don’t see any intention on the US side to cede influence, to cede presence in this region.”
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3303465/dont-expect-us-scale-back-its-asia-pacific-military-presence-analysts-say
