At 250, the US should promote its values in Asia, not spectacle

South China Morning Post · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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In his farewell address, then US president Ronald Reagan advocated for the United States to do “a better job of getting across that America is freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare”. The Trump administration should follow Reagan’s advice as it designs global celebrations for the country’s 250th anniversary.The US should showcase its founding principles of equality, pluralism, freedom of speech and religious liberty. It should highlight the ability to confront its own history, that the country has recognised its flaws since its inception and strives to become a more perfect union. These are the values that built enduring alliances and partnerships.Instead, US embassies and consulates across the Asia-Pacific are asking companies to collectively give tens of millions of dollars for spectacles such as America 250-themed snow and ice sculptures in Hokkaido and a Rockefeller Centre-style Christmas tree in Singapore.On the surface, it appears like a classic exercise of soft power, but soft power only works if it rides on top of a strong foundation. Since the end of World War II, Brand America reigned supreme globally. Now, China is challenging that primacy.Singapore maintains robust diplomatic and economic relations with both China and the US. Recent polling showing Brand America under strain there should cause concern for US companies beyond the city state. One in three respondents said they reduced spending on US products with US President Donald Trump in office, and nearly half said they planned to avoid American goods moving forward. The beneficiaries are brands such as BYD, Labubu and Luckin. What happens in the city state will spread to the rest of the region, and sooner rather than later.One year into Trump’s return to office, “America first” and US-China dynamics are reshaping how public affairs and public relations leaders across the region internalise the new geopolitical reality. The US turning 250 unfolds in this new dynamic.