A conversation with Assistant Secretaries Daniel Kritenbrink and Ely Ratner on US alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific

Under the Biden administration, the United States, allies, and partners across the Indo-Pacific region have made major investments in their own sources of national strength and in their shared ties — driving historic momentum toward a shared regional vision for peace, stability, and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific. From the AUKUS announcement in September 2021 to the release of the administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, there has been a renewed focus on the military and economic strategic value of the Indo-Pacific, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, supply chain resilience, emerging technologies, and supply of critical minerals essential to the green transition. As tensions between the U.S. and China intensify, how is the Biden administration working with other allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific to address the challenge posed by China and how will competition be managed responsibly?

On July 21, the Foreign Policy program at Brookings hosted Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner for a conversation with Brookings Senior Fellows Mireya Solís and Bruce Jones on the U.S. approach to the Indo-Pacific region alongside key allies and partners, particularly Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.

Online viewers submitted questions via e-mail to [email protected] or via Twitter @BrookingsFP using #IndoPacific.

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