Finally, the election of President Biden and his focus on allied, regional, and multilateral engagement changed the dynamic. China lost the relative freedom of diplomatic international maneuver it had during the “America First” days of the Trump administration. The new administration was willing to quickly resolve Trump-era trade and military-basing disputes with US allies such as Japan and South Korea, stabilizing relations. Whereas during the Trump period, Beijing largely pushed on an open door in its efforts to bolster its influence with other countries in the region, it suddenly faced a
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