‘The principal challenge facing the United States is to bridge European and regional approaches to Chinese challenges.’

‘Although the idea that the United States should “work with allies” is almost a cliché, the challenges to doing so are significant.’

• ‘Maintaining the existing Indo-Pacific order will inevitably require a broad coalition, and the very members that might join may not see the value of such a combined approach until the present system is irreversibly damaged.’
• ‘The need for allies and partners is often evident only after the status quo is overturned.’

‘Distant European leaders are inevitably less concerned about China’s assertiveness than the Indo-Pacific states next door.’

• ‘The principal challenge facing the United States is to bridge European and regional approaches to Chinese challenges.’
• ‘That task is made more difficult by Beijing’s economic power: last month, China used last-minute concessions to successfully pull the EU into a major bilateral investment agreement despite concerns that the deal would complicate a unified transatlantic approach under the Biden administration.’

‘Given these limitations, the United States will need to be flexible and innovative as it builds partnerships.’

• ‘Rather than form a grand coalition focused on every issue, the United States should pursue bespoke or ad hoc bodies focused on individual problems, such as the D-10 proposed by the United Kingdom (the G-7 democracies plus Australia, India, and South Korea). These coalitions will be most urgent for questions of trade, technology, supply chains, and standards.’
• ‘Other coalitions, though, might focus on military deterrence by expanding the so-called Quad currently composed of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, infrastructure investment through cooperation with Japan and India, and human rights through the two-dozen states that criticized Beijing’s internment camps in Xinjiang and its assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy.’

‘The purpose of these different coalitions—and this broader strategy—is to create balance in some cases, bolster consensus on important facets of the regional order in others, and send a message that there are risks to China’s present course.’

• ‘This task will be among the most challenging in the recent history of American statecraft.’