Biden’s pick for defence chief unlikely to change China policy, analysts say
- Lloyd Austin, a retired army general, will be nominated to lead the Pentagon, according to US media reports
- Chinese observers expect Indo-Pacific strategy to continue under new administration
If confirmed, Austin will be the first African-American to hold the post.
Biden announced key members of his national security team two weeks ago, but not the defence secretary. He is believed to have been under pressure to nominate a black candidate for the job.
Austin was the first black general to command a US Army division in combat and the first to oversee an entire theatre of operations.
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Liu Weidong, a US affairs expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Biden’s nomination could be seen as an attempt to secure support from minorities ahead of the midterm elections.
“The easiest way to appease the minorities who voted for [President Donald] Trump – more so than they did in 2016 – is to name some minorities as senior cabinet members, to superficially address the race issue,” Liu said.
“But the defence policy will actually be led by the White House national security team.”
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Hong Kong-based military commentator Song Zhongping agreed that the choice of Austin as defence chief was unlikely to affect US policy, but said that, having been a general, Austin might be able to coordinate better with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and others.
“A career military officer may be more adept at handling policy implementation,” Song said.
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Austin would need a congressional waiver to become defence secretary. The position is one of nine Pentagon posts that requires such a waiver if the candidate has been a military officer within seven years of his nomination. Austin retired from active duty in 2016.
He has previously said that coalition building is vital to military operations, echoing Biden’s emphasis on strengthening ties with allies to deter potential conflict with Russia and China.
Liu expected that the Indo-Pacific strategy initiated by Trump – widely seen as an effort to contain China – would continue under Biden, but he said it could be done in a more low-cost way.
“Biden will focus on repairing relationships with traditional allies in the region that have been damaged by Trump, but it will be difficult for him to team up with them against China,” he said.
“An ‘Asian Nato’ would be too expensive, and … his priorities are at home. Also, his regional allies don’t feel that China is that much of a security threat and they don’t want to take sides.”
