South China Sea: will Joe Biden take a more cautious approach in the disputed waters?

US president-elect likely to take a more contained approach to the disputed waters, but that won’t resolve the long-standing problems between Beijing and Washington, government adviser says

South China Sea ‘has become an important battleground for US-China strategic competition’, academic says

Reading Time:3 minutes

A Sea Hawk helicopter lifts off from the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan during an exercise in the South China Sea in July. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00pm, 14 Nov 2020Updated: 3:38pm, 16 Nov 2020

The United States is expected to take a more contained approach to the South China Sea under Joe Biden, but the disputed waters will remain a potential hotspot in the relationship between Beijing and Washington, observers say.

“I think he [Biden] will take a different approach to [US President Donald] Trump,” said Wu Shicun, head of the National Institute of South China Sea Studies, which advises the government.

“He is likely to pay more attention to the South China Sea but his policies will be more balanced and more contained.”

One possible change is a reduction in the number of freedom of navigation operations conducted by the US Navy in the sea, Wu said.

The patrols have been a regular feature of US military operations since Barack Obama was in the White House but became more frequent under Trump, who gave more flexibility to the Pentagon to plan its naval patrol schedules in the contested waters.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x