Trump’s Week in Asia: Gifts, Deals, and Submarines
Originally published in War on the Rocks
A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.
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Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump took a major trip to Asia, where he sought to make peace and trade deals. He started in Malaysia on Oct. 26, arriving for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. Next, he traveled to Japan to meet with the new prime minister. Trump wrapped up his visit in South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. In addition to meeting with South Korea’s president, he also met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trade relations were top of the agenda for many Asian leaders and Trump, but security alliances and political issues also played crucial roles.
We asked five experts to identify key outcomes from the week for Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China, and the United States.
Susannah Patton
Deputy Research Director at the Lowy Institute
The Malaysian government warmly welcomed Trump during his brief visit to attend the ASEAN summit, during which he presided over the signing of a Thailand-Cambodia peace deal. This was notable, given regional concerns about U.S. support for Israel in its war with Hamas and resentment about the abrupt imposition of high tariffs on Southeast Asian countries that rely heavily on the U.S. export market. The warm welcome suggests that, despite the unpopularity of some U.S. policies, ASEAN still values what Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan described as America’s “unique role in promoting peace and prosperity in our region.” Southeast Asian leaders likely hope that Trump’s visit is the starting point for a greater focus on the region, but given the highly personalized nature of his interest in brokering peace deals, his continued attention is far from certain.
