Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

‘Optimism and hope’: Moon, Lee and other Asian leaders sing Biden’s praises

‘Optimism and hope’: Moon, Lee and other Asian leaders sing Biden’s praises

The new US president’s inaugural speech and executive actions to rejoin the WHO and Paris Agreement won plaudits throughout the region.

US President Joe Biden’s appeal to Americans in his inauguration speech to end their “uncivil war” of political division had a domestic focus, but observers say his inclusive message and even-tempered tones will have deep resonance in Asia – where leaders are eager to quickly put the chaos of the last four years behind them.

That sense of relief about Biden’s succession of his mercurial predecessor, Donald Trump, was evident in social media messages posted by regional leaders after the one-of-a-kind, socially distanced ceremony in Washington on Wednesday.

The upbeat global mood should grant Biden a honeymoon period as he seeks to repair Washington’s damaged image in the coming weeks and months, observers said, noting that significant hurdles remained for the new president given the disparate expectations of his administration from countries around the world.

Biden’s inaugural speech and immediate actions after taking office – he signed executive orders for the US to rejoin the World Health Organization and to bring it back into the fold of the landmark climate accord known as the Paris Agreement– were widely lauded throughout Asia.

Much of the congratulatory messages from Asia-Pacific leaders, from President Joko Widodo of Indonesia to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, centred on strengthening ties with Washington.

Nydia Ngiow, a Singapore-based senior director with the BowerGroupAsia political consultancy, said Biden had on day one of his presidency given rise to “cautious optimism and hope”.

“This is evidenced by messages from world leaders looking towards reconnecting and welcoming a partner back to the fold,” Ngiow said.


Not everyone in Asia was overjoyed that US President Joe Biden had taken office. Supporters of Donald Trump in Tokyo held a rally ahead of Biden’s inauguration.


With his speech taking place barely two weeks after the shocking insurrection at the Capitol by Trump supporters who had hoped to forestall the leadership succession, Biden said the eventual transition was evidence that the “will of the people has been heeded”.

“We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile,” Biden said. “And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was particularly effusive in praising Biden for the message, saying on Twitter that his inauguration heralded the dawn of a “new beginning” for the US. “Together with the Korean people, I stand by your journey toward America United,” he said.


Writing on Facebook, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he wished Biden “every success in his endeavours” to heal the divisions in the US after the “contentious and bitter” November elections.

Adding to those remarks was Tommy Koh, the retired Singaporean diplomat whose views about US ties with Asia, in particular Southeast Asia, are highly sought by policymakers and regional analysts. “After the chaos of the last four years, Asia can expect a period of stability, rationally and competence,” he said on Facebook.

David Adelman, the US ambassador to Singapore from 2010 to 2013, told This Week in Asia that his sense was that world leaders were “breathing a sigh of relief today knowing the new occupant of the White House is a reliable, steady hand committed to restoring America’s reputation as a purveyor of peace and prosperity”.

Also weighing in was Frank Lavin, another former US envoy to Singapore who now lives in the city state. Lavin said that despite the speech’s domestic focus, it would likely deeply resonate with global audiences because of its substance.

“I think what was successful about his speech is that he spoke in an inclusive, even-tempered tone and he held out an appealing vision of America, one that was civil, successful and would come to terms with Covid-19,” he said.

Meera Shankar, a former Indian ambassador to the US, said the initial signal to the world from Biden was that the US would sharply depart from the unpredictability of his predecessor.

“It seems that Biden will have a traditional foreign policy which is less mercurial and less predictable as it was during the Trump era,” Meera told This Week in Asia.

Most observers flagged Biden’s decision to sign an executive order for Washington’s re-entry into the Paris Agreement as the most significant element of his first day in office.

The Trump years not only represented “time lost in the global effort to curb climate change but also significant backsliding from one of the largest carbon emitters in the world,” said Rohan Mukherjee, a foreign policy researcher with the Yale-NUS college in Singapore. Nonetheless, “rejoining the accord is an important signal to the world that the US is ready and willing to play a leading role in global governance again instead of actively dismantling some parts of the international order while quietly watching other parts crumble.”

Joseph Liow, an international affairs analyst with the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the new US president would have to pay heed to Asia’s hopes that there will be genuine engagement on issues such as climate change.

“Biden should also demonstrate that he is aware of the constraints and challenges faced by regional states in their specific contexts, which may be very different from that which prevails in North America or Western Europe,” he said.

Attention is expected to next pivot to the Biden administration‘s actions and policies regarding China, analysts said.

The president‘s soon-to-be confirmed secretary of state nominee, Antony Blinken, told Congress on Tuesday that he agreed with the “basic principle” of Trump’s muscular approach to Beijing, although he said he had different views “with the way he went about it in a number of areas”.

“a more conducive climate to ensure collaboration on Covid recovery, economic recovery, and wider regional cooperation” as well as the maintenance of regional centrality through the 10-nation Association of Southeast Nations.

In Thailand, analysts said the return of a Democrat as a president could prove to be a double-edged sword for the military-backed government that has for months been dealing with student protests.

The kingdom, along with the Philippines, is one of Washington‘s two formal non-Nato allies in Southeast Asia.

“A Democratic administration would mean more engagement [in Thailand] than the Trump administration,” said David Streckfuss, an independent Thai politics scholar.

“Biden has said that he wants allies to know that the US is back,” he said. “That would mean more engagement with the world, and as such, it might result in more pressure for authoritarian regimes like Thailand.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×