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South Korea gets Aukus-lite
Seoul getting the US to help develop nuclear-powered submarines has geostrategic implications beyond a military tech transfer.
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The South Korean Navy’s Shin Chae-ho, a KSS-III Dosan Ahn Changho class diesel-electric attack submarine, seen during a fleet review in the waters off Busan on Sept 26.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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The US President’s recent trip to North-east Asia was mostly about soya beans, tariffs and gold-plated gifts. Despite the context of competition between the US and China for strategic leadership in the region, and amidst intensifying security threats against America’s Asian allies, geopolitics was subordinate to economic issues.
US President Donald Trump said he didn’t discuss Taiwan with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping. The Chinese government’s official readout of the meeting also did not mention Taiwan. This is extraordinary, as protesting against US support for Taiwan is a staple Chinese talking point in high-level US-China discussions. It was a relief for observers who feared the meeting would result in Washington making a Taiwan-related concession as part of a trade bargain with Beijing.
