Biden Admin Seeks Increase to State Department’s Indo-Pacific Budget to Counter China Threat

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks on the release of the 2022 Human Rights Report at the U.S. State Department in Washington on March 20, 2023. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The top U.S. diplomat is calling for a greatly expanded budget for activities in the Indo-Pacific to counter communist China’s increasing aggression and fortify American ties in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a March 22 Senate appropriations hearing that the Biden administration is seeking an 18 percent increase to the State Department’s Indo-Pacific budget for the 2024 fiscal year.