US President Donald Trump (left) and Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden at the last duel in Nashville. (Photo: AFP /VNA)

The US presidential election is in a few days. How the election result affects future political, security, and economic cooperation and development between the United States and this region is attracting the attention of analysts and scholars in the region and the world.

The US “pivot” strategy

The development of the strategic partnership between the US and Southeast Asia over the past ten years began during the tenure of former US President Barack Obama. During Obama's tenure, the US promoted the “Asia-Pacific Rebalance” pivot strategy instead of the “Asia Pivot Strategy”. An important advance in the Obama administration's Asia policy was the establishment of a framework of continuous cooperation with Southeast Asian countries. The US also stepped up political and military cooperation with its allies in the Asia-Pacific region and proposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). These would have changed after Donald Trump took power. Immediately after taking office, President Trump announced that the US would withdraw from the TPP trade agreement. In November of the same year, Trump announced the Indo-Pacific strategy, which replaced the Obama strategy “Asia-Pacific Rebalance”.

The strategies launched by Trump and Obama for the Asia-Pacific region are essentially based on the geopolitical strategies of Asian and Southeast Asian countries. Indeed, Trump's Indo-Pacific Strategy is a comprehensive competition strategy to curb Chinese influence in the region, rather than implementing cooperation with Asian countries in a number of areas.

If the Democratic Party candidate wins, experts say promoting multilateralism and regionalism will be a priority. He would put trade liberalization on the agenda. Southeast Asian countries are interested in this.

USA wants to reaffirm its position in Southeast Asia

If Joe Biden wins the upcoming election, he will face aftershocks in the face of Trump's Asia-Pacific strategy over the past four years. For his part, Trump would not be able to maintain his strategy of the past four years. Neither could Biden repeat what he did during his tenure as Vice-President under the Obama's administration. The US should shape a new foreign policy according to the current situation.

It doesn't matter whether Biden or Trump wins, the US government must change its foreign policy in the national interest. It is certain that Southeast Asia, with a strategic position in Asia and good adaptability, will continue to be a priority in the foreign policy of the new US administration.

Anh Huyen