The Three Challenges and Three Shadows of Trump’s Asian Tour

 The Three Challenges and Three Shadows of Trump’s Asian Tour

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

November 5, 2017

 Translation of an Excerpt

U.S. Air Force One landed at Japan's Yokota Airbase on November 5^th, starting Trump's five-nation tour of Asia. The missions of this visit are arduous; not only could the North Korea crisis erupt at any moment, he has to face a more and more self-confident Mainland China since its rise. However, to meet the many challenges, Trump is followed by three shadows, undermining its allies' confidence in the United States and hindering regional cooperation.

The first is the challenge of the North Korea crisis. Trump must consolidate the consensus of US allies in order to be one in unity; however, he has to take into account the opinions of various countries. Diplomacy is to never talk about war until the last moment. The second is the US Asia-Pacific policy. Trump will declare his new Asia-Pacific policy in Vietnam. Trump's challenge is that, on the one hand, he wants to show the allies that the United States has not abandoned them and will continue to remain in the Asia-Pacific region. However, on the other hand, facing the reality of the rise of Mainland China, he must concede some room; otherwise, the US and China will have more strategic tension and friction. The third is the trade deficit. Trump strongly demands that other countries reduce their trade surpluses with the United States. Now Trump has abandoned the multilateral mechanisms, demanding bilateral talks to resolve the issue of trade imbalance. Nevertheless, with the size of the United States, any country will be undercut in their bilateral negotiations, even U.S. allies are no exception.

However, the shadows stalking Trump during his tour will have an impact on the attitude of the Asia-Pacific countries vis-à-vis their assessment and cooperation with Trump. The first shadow is Trump's scandal in domestic politics. Asia-Pacific countries in general have doubts whether Trump still has adequate political authority; the second is Trump's international reputation. Since he came to office, the United States has increasingly looked inward, repeatedly jettisoning its past international commitments. The last shadow is Trump's character. The policy style of the White House in the past eight months, the changing moods of the President himself, his propensity for grandeur and achievements, and lack of patience—all these are the most important factors.

Nevertheless, the United States is still the world’s most important country; the decisions it makes, even the mistakes it commits, could possibly lead to fatal impacts on other countries. Taiwan must not take the situation lightly. However, as a member of the Asia-Pacific region, we welcome the US President’s visit in order to gain a personal understanding of Asia’s actual picture.

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