Policy speech blow after Blinken contracts Covid

Those seeking clarity on United States President Joe Biden’s long-awaited China policy will have to wait longer as Washington’s top diplomat Antony Blinken has tested positive for Covid-19.

Blinken’s speech on the subject, scheduled for yesterday, would be moved to an alternative date “at some point in the nottoo-distant future”, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Price said Blinken was fully vaccinated and boosted against the coronavirus and was “experiencing only mild symptoms”.

The department said in a separate statement that the top envoy had not seen Biden in several days, and was not considered a close contact.

The secretary of state is the latest official in Biden’s cabinet to test positive for Covid-19. In the past several weeks, Vice-President Kamala Harris, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Attorney General Merrick Garland had all contracted the illness.

Biden has faced criticism for not having an official strategy to tackle challenges that Beijing has created for Washington on various fronts, including trade and national defence, more than a year into his presidency.

The administration’s attention has been diverted to Europe by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, and in a bid to reassure its partners in the Indo-Pacific, the White House has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining engagement in the region.

The Biden administration also released its Indo-Pacific strategy in early February, pledging to boost its diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation with regional players to counter Beijing’s increasing regional and global influence.

That includes larger roles in the Indo-Pacific for European and Asian allies, including Taiwan; opening new US missions in the region; launching the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework; and expanding the role of the US Coast Guard.

“Our objective is not to change [China] but to shape the strategic environment in which it operates, building a balance of influence in the world that is maximally favourable to the United States, our allies and partners, and the interests and values we share,” the document said.

Despite the strategy’s provisions and their justifications, US officials have repeatedly stressed that China is not the sole focus of their regional initiatives.

Biden is set to host a summit with Asean leaders in Washington from May 12 to May 13. He is also expected to make his first trip to Asia as president later this month, with a stop in Seoul before attending a Quad summit in Tokyo.