The United States’ Enduring Commitment to the Indo-Pacific Region

From Day One, President Biden identified the Indo-Pacific as the critical region for the future of the United States and the world. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States has reinvested in and reinvigorated our leadership in this region and, as a result, our position there is stronger now than ever before. Together with our allies and partners, we have built a shared foundation for the Indo-Pacific-one that is free, open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient.

1. An Indo-Pacific that is Free and Open

We are promoting a free and open region where individuals can thrive in transparent societies and nations can make sovereign political choices free from coercion. We are addressing regional issues openly, upholding international law and norms, and facilitating the free movement of goods, services, ideas, and people by:

• Ensuring seas, skies, and other shared domains are lawfully governed: The Department of Defense (DoD) continues to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific in accordance with international law. Over the past four years, DoD has challenged over a dozen excessive maritime claims as part of the global freedom of navigation operations (FON) Program. The U.S. military, alongside allies and partners, has participated in numerous bilateral and multilateral maritime exercises to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, including in the South China Sea.

• Investing in democratic institutions, a free press, and a vibrant civil society: In 2024, we co-hosted the third Summit for Democracy with the Republic of Korea (ROK) to champion our democratic values of transparency, accountable governance, advancing technology for democracy and support for the rule of law. We continue to promote accountability for human rights abuses in the People's Republic of China (PRC), Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Burma. We have continued to rally global attention to these human rights abuses at the United Nations and in other multi-lateral fora.

• Supporting journalistic integrity and countering foreign information manipulation and interference: To bolster civil society and safeguard communities, we have signed bilateral memoranda with Japan, the ROK, and Australia to combat foreign state information manipulation. We also built the capacity of media outlets across the Indo-Pacific to increase journalistic integrity, improve access to information, and reduce vulnerability to foreign interference.

• Addressing the Humanitarian Crisis in Burma: As a leading contributor of humanitarian assistance, we provided $1.8 billion in life saving assistance in Burma and the region, including more than $1.2 billion in response to the Rohingya crisis. We have sanctioned 91 individuals and 50 entities since the 2021 coup to deny the military regime income and pressure it to return to the path of democracy.

1. An Indo-Pacific that is Connected

Over the past four years, this Administration has built, in cooperation with our partners and allies, a new, enduring Indo-Pacific architecture that is better equipped to meet the profound challenges and capitalize on the momentous opportunities this region presents. We have built collective capacity within and beyond the region by:

• Elevating and strengthening our bilateral relationships: We upgraded our bilateral relationships with Vietnam and Indonesia to Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships. President Biden hosted State or Official Visits with the leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the ROK at the White House. We affirmed commitments with the ROK to deepen defense and security ties, expand economic cooperation, and increase digital and technology collaboration. We inaugurated a new era of U.S.-Australia strategic cooperation, adding climate and clean energy as the third pillar of our Alliance. The U.S. and Japan launched over 70 initiatives at the April 2024 State Visit as part of our drive to transform our bilateral relationship into a truly global partnership. The U.S. and India launched a transformational initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) to deepen our strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation. And we achieved unprecedented defense, economic, and technology cooperation with our ally the Philippines.

• Delivering through the Quad: In 2021, President Biden elevated the Quad - a grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States - to the Leader-level. Since then, Leaders have met six times, including at four Leaders' Summits. Our four countries have achieved an unprecedented degree of strategic alignment and advanced concrete projects across the Indo-Pacific in priority areas: maritime domain awareness, cybersecurity and technology, quality infrastructure, health security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

• Deepening U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation: At the Trilateral Leaders' Summit at Camp David in August 2023, we achieved a historic breakthrough that ushered in a previously unimaginable level of cooperation between the United States, Japan, and the ROK, and drove deeper trilateral cooperation in every domain. We committed to consult on regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security; accelerated information sharing, including the real-time sharing of missile warning data and data on potential supply chain disruptions; institutionalized defense cooperation through the annual FREEDOM EDGE exercise; and established a new cyber working group.

• Enhancing trilateral cooperation with Japan and the Philippines: In April 2024, President Biden hosted the first-ever U.S.-Japan-Philippines Leaders' Summit, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our Philippine allies in the face of unlawful and destabilizing PRC provocations in the South China Sea. Since then, we have coordinated investment in strategic sectors and promoted dynamic growth in the Philippines, cooperated on critical technologies, and strengthened maritime law enforcement and security coordination and interoperability.

• Expanding our Diplomatic Presence: We opened U.S. embassies in Vanuatu, Tonga, Maldives, and Solomon Islands, we intend to open new consulates in India in 2025, and we established diplomatic relations with the Cook Islands and Niue. We opened Department of Commerce Commercial Service offices in Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. We re-established a USAID mission in Fiji and elevated USAID's presence in Papua New Guinea to a Country Representative Office.

• Deepening cooperation with our Pacific partners: UnderPresident Biden, we hosted two historic Pacific Islands Forum Summits at the White House, designated the first-ever U.S. Envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum, and launched the first-ever U.S.-Pacific Partnership Strategy. We launched the Partners in the Blue Pacific initiative in 2022 to work with partners and bring new resources to deliver results in support of Pacific priorities. Our defense posture in the Pacific Islands countries continues to be critical for U.S. military logistics, sustainment, and power projection. In the last few years, we expanded the National Guard State Partnership Program to Pacific Island countries and signed important new defense agreements with Papua New Guinea and Fiji. We returned the Peace Corps to Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu. In partnership with the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau, we continue to strengthen the Compacts of Free Association and have extended $7.1 billion in economic assistance over the next 20 years.

• Strengthening our relationships in the Indian Ocean Region: We brought the U.S.-India relationship to new heights, including through Prime Minister Modi's State Visit to Washington and President Biden's visit to New Delhi for the G-20 Leaders' Summit. We deepened cooperation with India on semiconductor and critical minerals supply chains, and launched an Innovation Handshake to strengthen our startup and entrepreneurial ecosystems. We strengthened partnerships in the Indian Ocean Region, working with partners and organizations like the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on climate adaptation, sustainable blue economies, and maritime security. Additionally, the United States recently launched the Young South Asian Leaders Initiative, which will link young leaders throughout South Asia and promote innovation through local and regional grants.

• Reaffirming our support for ASEAN: We support a strong and independent ASEAN and its central role within the region. Over the course of the administration, we held five U.S.-ASEAN Summits, including a historic U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, DC, in May 2022. That same year, the United States elevated its relationship with ASEAN to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We have already successfully implemented 99% of the 2022-2025 ASEAN-U.S. Plan of Action goals; established through a public-private partnership the U.S.-ASEAN Center in Washington, DC; extended the U.S.-ASEAN Regional Development Cooperation Agreement to 2029; and launched the new five-year ASEAN USAID Partnership Program. Continuing a tradition of close defense cooperation with ASEAN, we launched the new Emerging Leaders Defense Program to support rising defense leaders across the region, commenced planning for the second ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise, and expanded training and support for climate resilience efforts.We have reinvigorated youth leadership in the region through fellowships, training programs, and educational exchanges. Through the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, we have equipped more than 150,000 participants with knowledge and skills to solve regional and global challenges. In FY 2023 alone, the United States also supported soft and life skills training for more than 68,000 youth across the region.

• Reinvigorating our partnership in the Mekong sub-region: Through sustained engagement with partner countries under the Mekong-U.S. Partnership (MUSP), we convened in July 2024 the first ever in-person MUSP Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and adopted the MUSP Plan of Action 2024-2026, which captures the contributions that the MUSP has made towards the equitable, sustainable, and inclusive development of the Mekong sub-region over the last years, and sets the course for continued cooperation.

1. An Indo-Pacific that is Prosperous

In collaboration with our regional partners, we are fostering private investment, enhancing economic competitiveness, and addressing the region's infrastructure gap to drive greater economic prosperity by:

• Demonstrating leadership in the region through Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): We continued to deepen our economic ties with key regional partners and advance a more innovative, interconnected, and inclusive economic agenda for the region by hosting APEC in 2023. In addition to promoting U.S. economic policy priorities, we announced over $50 billion of U.S. private sector investment into APEC economies to drive inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth throughout the region, while advancing U.S. competitiveness and incentivizing private sector investment from the region. Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, companies based in the Asia-Pacific invested almost $200 billion into the United States and supported tens of thousands of jobs for American workers.

• Launching the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF): Along with 13 partners in the Indo-Pacific, we established a new grouping to shape regional collaboration on contemporary economic challenges to ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a dynamic marketplace where businesses can invest, grow, and thrive. Through a combination of innovative agreements and cross-cutting initiatives, IPEF partners are fostering trade ties, strengthening supply chain resilience, facilitating public and private investments in infrastructure, and promoting a fair and predictable business environment for our companies.

• Expanding Investment in Regional Infrastructure: We invested billions in regional infrastructure, including in ports, energy, rail, and digital. We launched the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) Luzon Economic Corridor with the Philippines and Japan to improve regional transportation, energy, and digital connectivity in the Philippines. We supported Pacific island countries by funding over $37 million in undersea cables projects-providing communications connections to populations for the first time-and collaborated with partners like Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan, and mobilized the U.S. private sector, to secure further funding. We are also providing capacity building support to South Asia's busiest transshipment hub as well as supporting sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific through the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership.
• Promoting Resilient and Secure Connectivity: The United States promoted resilient, secure, and trustworthy telecommunications across the region, focusing on 5G vendor diversification, Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) technology, and undersea cable infrastructure. In India, USAID teamed up with Qualcomm to introduce Open RAN technology. The United States is promoting Open RAN workforce development opportunities through the Asia Open RAN Academy in the Philippines. In Indonesia, we are supporting the deployment of Open RAN technology to provide connectivity to 1,621 unserved rural villages. In addition, we, alongside Quad partners, deployed the first Open RAN technology in the Pacific, in Palau, and elevated undersea cable protections throughout the region through the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience.

1. An Indo-Pacific that is Stable and Secure

In pursuit of regional peace, security, and stability, we have reinvested in our defense presence and capabilities, integrated our efforts with partners and modernized our alliances, and collectively deterred aggression and coercion by:

• Launching the Australia - United Kingdom - United States (AUKUS) Enhanced Security Partnership: We are delivering on a generational opportunity to support Australia's acquisition of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability and are engaged with Australia and the United Kingdom in developing advanced capabilities to address current and future security challenges. In addition to the core partners, we are consulting with Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea on possible collaboration on AUKUS Pillar II advanced capability projects.

• Providing an unprecedented $2 billion in supplemental Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to the Indo-Pacific: We are demonstrating the United States' commitment to enhancing our allies' and partners' capacity to address external threats and meet emerging challenges. This included working with Congress to allocate an unprecedented $500 million in FMF from the National Security Supplemental to enhance the capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard to fulfill their territorial defense mission and contribute to regional security. We also allocated a record level of FMF to support the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, gave new support to Vietnam, and made substantial contributions to the maritime security of states across the Indian Ocean region.

• Supporting Taiwan's self-defense capabilities: Consistent with the United States' longstanding one China policy, we have used a range of security assistance authorities and resources to provide Taiwan defensive arms and services necessary to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability, commensurate with the threat it faces. This support includes the first-ever use of Foreign Military Financing and Presidential Drawdown Authority for Taiwan, as well as International Military Education and Training. This assistance is an important part of our efforts to maintain cross-Strait peace and stability.

• Modernizing our alliances: The U.S.-Japan Alliance is stronger than ever before. Over the past four years, we have modernized our alliance command and control frameworks, strengthened training and exercises, and established a new bilateral forum to advance co-production, co-development, and co-sustainment. We strengthened the U.S.-Philippines alliance by signing the first-ever Bilateral Defense Guidelines to enhance military cooperation across all domains, expanding the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) to include four new sites, supporting the Philippines' military modernization, and investing $128 million in EDCA infrastructure through the President's FY25 Budget Request. We also created the Nuclear Consultative Group with the Republic of Korea to deepen and enhance our extended deterrence cooperation in the face of threats from the DPRK. Additionally, cooperation in cyberspace and emerging technology has become an integral feature in all of our alliances to support our joint network defenses and interoperability.

• Enhancing Maritime Security: We worked with our allies and partners to enhance the rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific and protection of sea lanes, including through the Maritime Security Consortium-the first ever initiative bringing together defense industry, U.S. government leaders, and Southeast Asian decision makers to transform maritime security in Southeast Asia-the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), expanded Coast Guard exchanges, and capacity building efforts across the region. In December 2023, we established a dedicated Indo-Pacific Support Cutter in Honolulu, HI to promote maritime governance, establish persistent U.S. presence, and conduct meaningful engagements in the region. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane embarked shipriders and worked alongside 12 Pacific island countries to enhance maritime domain awareness and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and other illicit activities. We secured $200 million for two additional U.S. Coast Guard Fast Response Cutters to support the Indo-Pacific, which will add capacity to complete further-reaching deployments.

• Forging deeper ties between NATO and its Indo-Pacific Partners (IPP): The United States has championed NATO deepening its relationships with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the ROK, recognizing the prosperity and security of the two regions are inextricably linked. The IPP attended the past three NATO Summits and at the most recent Washington Summit, NATO and the IPP pledged to cooperate on flagship projects focused on cybersecurity, countering disinformation, emerging technology, and supporting Ukraine. The NATO-IPP partnership demonstrated its indispensable importance in November when an ROK delegation briefed Allies and other IPP countries on DPRK's deepening support for Russia on the eve of the entry of DPRK forces into battle against Ukraine.

• An Indo-Pacific that is Resilient

The United States has collaborated with Indo-Pacific partners to enhance resilience against transnational threats that effect all of our countries, including climate change, natural disasters, and infectious disease threats by:

• Addressing the climate crisis: We are supporting ASEAN member states in developing and implementing ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the U.S.-ASEAN Climate Solutions Hub. Through the Interagency Climate Ambition Program, we provided long-term embedded advisors to the Philippines, Fiji, and Vietnam to support partner countries' climate priorities. We also supported Pacific island countries through the funding of humanitarian warehousing, an ocean and fisheries research vessel, the Pacific Resilience Facility, marine spatial planning, a Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship, and the Climate Action Champions Network to support disaster resilience, community resilience, and climate leadership in the Pacific and South Asia.

• Strengthening disaster and climate resilient infrastructure: We are supporting Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) India's climate change initiative to help foster disaster and climate resilient infrastructure worldwide. Together, we launched the Global Infrastructure Risk Model and Resilience Index, enabling countries to predict disaster impacts and strengthen infrastructure resilience.

• Deepening Coordination on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief: Following Super Typhoon Man-Yi, Tropical Storm Kristine, and Tropical Storm Julian, USAID provided over $6 million in life saving assistance, and DoD worked with our Philippine allies to deliver humanitarian relief prepositioned at EDCA sites, along with 50 tons of other assistance, to affected communities across the Philippines. We worked with ourQuad partners on coordinated responses to Typhoon Yagi and the devastating landslides in Papua New Guinea, providing $5 million in humanitarian assistance for the landslide disaster relief efforts.

• Boosting Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response: We enhanced coordination with Quad partners to scale up COVID-19 response efforts, donating more than 400 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Indo-Pacific countries and almost 800 million vaccines doses globally, expanding vaccine production capacity, and addressing a range of health security priorities in the region. We also launched the Quad Cancer Moonshot, an over $150 million public-private investment to prevent, detect, and treat cancer across the Indo-Pacific. Additionally, the U.S. government is partnering with more than ten countries in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen their ability to prevent and control health security threats at their source.

• Deepening our cooperation on clean energy research and development: We collaborated with Indo-Pacific partners to establish diverse, secure, and reliable supply chains for critical minerals and clean energy. We launched the multilateral Just Energy Transition Partnerships with Indonesia and Vietnam and signed Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology "123" Agreements with both the Philippines and Singapore to address energy needs. We also launched the Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) under the U.S.-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership aimed at developing action roadmaps for technology development, deployment, and commercialization ofhydrogen, long duration energy storage, offshore wind, and geothermal energy.

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