remember the Obama Asian Pivot that never was?
I'm thinking Trump's Asian trip is to tighten up security relationships with the various Asian states/ littoral states
as a counter to N.Korea, but also as a rival to China's equivalent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
http://www.smh.com.au/world/china-e...transpacific-partnership-20170123-gtxbi1.html
China is advocating for a 16-nation pact called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that excludes the United States and lacks some of the environmental and labour protections Obama negotiated into the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Xi and other Chinese leaders are also looking to fill the US leadership vacuum, taking advantage of Trump's protectionism to boost ties with traditional US allies like the Philippines and Malaysia.
++
One of the big arguments for the USA joining the TPP was that China would use it's propose RCEP
as a security partnership -as well as an economic club
I always thought that a red herring considering traditional US close ties w/Japan/Philippines .
In fact Duarte and Trump get along a lot better then Trump and Obama ( whatever you think of Duarte)
Then there is China's South China Sea "10 dash line" that threatens to engulf the entire region.
Trump's task is to unify US/Asian relations under security agreements, while simultaneously establishing
some US bi-lateral trade relations - while keeping China's sanctions tightening upon North Korea.
Not an EZ needle to thread -but joining the TPP for security reasons was too high a price for the USA to pay.
( my comments -no links)
I'm thinking Trump's Asian trip is to tighten up security relationships with the various Asian states/ littoral states
as a counter to N.Korea, but also as a rival to China's equivalent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
http://www.smh.com.au/world/china-e...transpacific-partnership-20170123-gtxbi1.html
China is advocating for a 16-nation pact called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that excludes the United States and lacks some of the environmental and labour protections Obama negotiated into the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Xi and other Chinese leaders are also looking to fill the US leadership vacuum, taking advantage of Trump's protectionism to boost ties with traditional US allies like the Philippines and Malaysia.
++
One of the big arguments for the USA joining the TPP was that China would use it's propose RCEP
as a security partnership -as well as an economic club
I always thought that a red herring considering traditional US close ties w/Japan/Philippines .
In fact Duarte and Trump get along a lot better then Trump and Obama ( whatever you think of Duarte)
Then there is China's South China Sea "10 dash line" that threatens to engulf the entire region.
Trump's task is to unify US/Asian relations under security agreements, while simultaneously establishing
some US bi-lateral trade relations - while keeping China's sanctions tightening upon North Korea.
Not an EZ needle to thread -but joining the TPP for security reasons was too high a price for the USA to pay.
( my comments -no links)
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