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No shame in the art of the fawn – Asia’s way with Trump and China
Asia charmed the superpowers by trading gifts, flattery and deals to blunt tariffs and avoid blows. But this cannot be the long-term strategy.
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US President Donald Trump walking with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a high honour presentation ceremony at the Gyeongju National Museum on Oct 29.
PHOTO: AFP
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In one telling, the outcome of US President Donald Trump’s recent Asia swing does not deserve the “win-win” tag it has widely been getting. In this view, the seeming goodwill – after all the gifting, gold-dessert offering, and other acts of obeisance – in fact masks a loss for the region.
At the Oct 31 Asean Roundtable organised by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Thai political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak wondered if the likes of Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand would soon suffer “buyer’s remorse” once the initial euphoria of the trade deals they inked with Washington wears off. It is a brutal but not inaccurate reading, going by what learned observers say as they parse the fine print.
