China’s military has been expanding its reach into the Pacific amid what many see as the U.S. scaling back on influence and resources in the region.
News this week of a Chinese Navy ship colliding with a Chinese Coast Guard vessel in the Western Pacific while both tried to block a Philippine patrol ship stands out as evidence of China ramping up its military presence. Earlier this summer, two Chinese aircraft carriers performed military exercises in the West Pacific, conducting 1,000 takeoffs and landings.
When U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited Guam and Hawaiʻi earlier this year, he described the Pacific U.S. territories as the "tip of America's spear" of deterrence. But a recent report found that the Trump administration’s policies may be weakening America’s position in the Pacific.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a policy think tank in Washington, D.C. Its new report is titled “Shifting Tides: The National Security Implications of the United States’ Pacific Drawdown.”
The Conversation spoke with two of the report’s authors: Charles Edel, the Australia chair at the center, and Kathryn Paik, a senior fellow. Paik started off with a look at the history of U.S. involvement in the Pacific.
This story aired on The Conversation on Aug. 12, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
