November 15, 2017
The 5 things we learned from Trump’s Asia trip
President Trump returned Tuesday night after 12 days in Asia. So what did we learn from his stops in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines? Here are five takeaways:
1) Trump embraced alliances (sort of) but didn’t really reassure anyone
A typical goal of presidential trips is to tend to alliance relations — to maintain and renew ties, provide reassurance where needed or smooth over problems. Given Trump’s long-standing skepticism of alliances, there were significant questions about whether he would reassure anxious allies in Japan and South Korea.
The Japan leg of the trip went reasonably smoothly. Given the close bond Trump has formed with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, that’s perhaps unsurprising.
A smooth visit was not a given in South Korea, where relations have been frosty. Since taking office, Trump has called on South Korea to pay for the THAAD missile defense system and has threatened to end the U.S.-ROK free trade deal.
And Trump’s repeated threats to use unilateral force against North Korea are damaging to the U.S.-Korean alliance, forcing the progressive new president, Moon Jae-in, to distance himself from the United States. South Korean public opinion of the U.S. president is at a nadir.
Read the full commentary in the Washington Post.
More from CNAS
-
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security / Technology & National Security
Selling AI Chips Won’t Keep China Hooked on U.S. TechnologyU.S. policy should not rest on the illusion that selling chips can trap China inside the American tech ecosystem....
By Janet Egan
-
Indo-Pacific Security / Transatlantic Security
‘Trump Should Be Worried’ as China’s Leader Hosts Russian and North Korean CounterpartsThe gathering of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un shows a collective appeal to a new world order not dominated by the United States, according to Richard Fontaine, c...
By Richard Fontaine
-
Will New Delhi-Beijing Move Beyond Friction Points? | Ex-White Official On India-China Reset
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India and China, as two major economies, must work together to bring stability to the global economic order. NDTV's Gaurie Dwi...
By Lisa Curtis
-
SCO Preview: Modi Heads to China Amid U.S. Tariff Shock
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left Northeast Asia this week, embarking on a two-stop trip that includes Japan and then China, where he will participate in the Shanghai C...
By Derek Grossman