"'They are restraining themselves from the normal syndrome of a new administration running into problem-solving with China,' said Danny Russel, who was assistant secretary of state for Asia during the Obama administration and is now vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. "Russel said Biden is 'sending out messages that have the effect of showing he’s not soft on China, that he’s not a patsy for China, that he isn’t so desperate for a breakthrough on climate change that he’s going [...]

"The rocky relationship between two crucial Asian allies, Japan and South Korea, had deteriorated over the issue of wartime sex slaves. Later that year, with the help of the United States, the two countries reached a landmark agreement to resolve their historical dispute… "'When there’s a serious rift in the family, it’s hard to invite your friends over for dinner,' said Daniel Russel, an Asia Society expert who was a high-ranking foreign policy official in the Obama administration. "'Given the magnitude of [...]

"Australia has been a target for U.S. reassurance after China drastically reduced purchases of Australian coal, wine and other goods following Canberra’s call for a global investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. "One idea, said Daniel Russel, a former top Asia official in the Bush and Obama administrations, would be to form an informal 'mutual aid society' to purchase Australian exports. 'They’re making an example of the Australians and for that reason alone the United States can’t afford to let [...]