Outgoing U.S. Navy Commander In Japan Says US And Its Allies Are In ‘Amazingly Dangerous Times’

Vessels of the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force conduct a passing honors ceremony in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 19, 2021 (U.S. Navy photo by Haydn N. Smith via AP).  

Stars and Stripes: US, allies are in ‘amazingly dangerous times,’ says outgoing Navy commander in Japan   

NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan — The outgoing commander of a Navy air facility near Tokyo warned Thursday that military deterrence in the western Pacific may not be working as the region enters “amazingly dangerous times.” 

Navy Capt. Nicolas Leclerc, previously a member of the International Military Staff at NATO Headquarters in Belgium, took charge of NAF Atsugi from Capt. Manning Montagnet during a ceremony inside hangar 1430. NAF Atsugi, a facility shared with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, is a critical logistics and maintenance hub and home to Fleet Air Western Pacific. 

Three Navy helicopter squadrons — two maritime strike squadrons and one sea combat — are stationed there. Flanked by an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter and a Navy C-12 turboprop, Montagnet described the “amazingly dangerous times” faced by the U.S. and its allies due to “authoritarian and totalitarian regimes” in the region.  

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WNU Editor: I concur with the above US Navy Captain's observations on Asia. We are now living in very dangerous and tense times.

US Seding A-10s To Middle East, Advanced Fighter Jets To Asia And Europe

A US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet fires its 30mm cannon during joint US and Philippine troops live fire exercise at Crow Valley, in Capas town, north of Manila, on 30 April 2015 (AFP)  

Middle East Monitor: US will send old tank-busting planes to Middle East, advanced jets to Asia and Europe: Report 

Deployment of A-10 attack planes to the Middle East comes as Washington looks to focus on great power rivalries with China and Russia 

The US plans to deploy ageing A-10 attack planes to the Middle East in order to send more advanced combat aircraft to Asia, as part of a pivot away from the region to focus on the great power rivalries with China and Russia. 

The move, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, comes as the Pentagon looks to scale back its Middle East footprint. 

Earlier this month, US Air Force officials proposed a 2024 budget of $7bn for operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, about $1.6bn less than last year.

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Update #1: US moving advanced aircraft to Asia, Europe from Middle East (Al Jazeera)  

Update #2: A-10s Headed to CENTCOM to Bolster Air Force Presence (Air & Space Forces Magazine)  

WNU Editor: This deployment is just more evidence that in the eyes of the US national security establishment, it is all about Russia and China right now.

President Biden Arrives In South Korea For Asia Trip

 

Daily Mail: Biden's double gaffe in South Korea: President refers to new president as the previous leader and gets name of Samsung's Texas plant wrong shortly after landing on first Asia trip 

* National Security Advisor Sullivan said there's a 'genuine possibility' North Korea could conduct a missile or nuclear test while President Biden is in the region 

* 'We are preparing for all contingencies, including the possibility that such a provocation would occur while we are in Korea or in Japan,' Sullivan said 

* The president did not answer shouted questions when boarding Air Force One 

* Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said Wednesday that Biden 'will not visit the DMZ' while in South Korea 

* Biden leaves Thursday for his first trip to Asia as president, heading to South Korea first and then onto Japan in a five-day visit 

President Joe Biden kicked off his trip to Asia by meeting South Korea's new President Yoon Seok-youl in the lobby of a Samsung micro-chip facility Friday evening and taking a factory tour. 

'This is an auspicious start to my visit, because it's emblematic of the future cooperation and innovation our nations can and must build together,' Biden said, delivering remarks alongside Yoon after touring two parts of the enormous Pyeongtaek facility. 

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WNU Editor: I am hearing the same thing from my contacts in Asia. President Biden's Asian economic policy is being met with a lot of skepticism .... ‘Difficult to believe’: Biden’s economy plan a tough sell in Asia (Al Jazeera). 

President Biden Arrives In South Korea For Asia Trip 

Biden: SKorean chip plant a model for deeper ties to Asia -- AP 

Biden arrives in South Korea with worries growing over possible North Korean missile test -- CNN

Biden to meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea, tour Samsung factory amid North Korea provocations -- FOX News  

As Biden visits South Korea focused on jobs for Americans, China launches war games and North Korea preps for a nuclear test -- CBS/AP 

Biden arrives in Asia to boost Indo-Pacific ties amid Ukraine war -- Al Jazeera  

Biden vows to deepen US-South Korea ties in first Asia stop -- The Hill

U.S. Alles In Asia Do Nto Want U.S. Missiles Based In Their Country

An experimental version of a new cruise missile is fired from San Nicolas Island, Calif., last August, part of the Pentagon's effort to develop new intermediate range missiles that could be based in Asia. (Scott Howe / Department of Defense)

L.A. Times: U.S. seeks to house missiles in the Pacific. Some allies don't want them

The governor of a Japanese territory where the Pentagon is thinking about basing missiles capable of threatening China has a message for the United States: Not on my island.

“I firmly oppose the idea,” said Gov. Denny Tamaki, the governor of Okinawa, in an email to The Times.

Officials in other Asian countries are also signaling they don’t want them.

But Pentagon planners aren’t backing down after the Trump administration withdrew last year from a 33-year-old arms-control treaty that barred U.S. land-based intermediate range missiles in Asia.

Senior officials now say that putting hundreds of American missiles with non-nuclear warheads in Asia would quickly and cheaply shift the balance of power in the western Pacific back in the United States' favor amid growing Pentagon concern that China’s own expanding arsenal of missiles and other military capabilities threaten U.S. bases in the region and have emboldened Beijing to menace U.S. allies in Asia.

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Update: "Not On My Island": More Allies Reject Hosting US Missiles In Pacific Aimed At China

WNU Editor: No one wants to be a target.

US, ASEAN Begin Their First Joint Naval Drills

AFP: US, ASEAN kick off first joint naval drills

Bangkok (AFP) - The United States and ten Southeast Asian countries kicked off maritime drills on Monday, as part of a joint exercise extending into the flashpoint South China Sea with eight warships, four aircraft and more than a thousand personnel.

The first ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise (AUMX) between the regional bloc and Washington will last for five days, starting at the Sattahip Naval Base in Thailand and ending in Singapore.

The drills come at a time of stepped-up US engagement in the region and tensions between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations over the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

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Update #1: US-ASEAN naval drills kick off in Southeast Asia (DW)
Update #2: Warships and aircraft ready for first US-ASEAN maritime drills (Al Jazeera)

WNU Editor: China's aggression and uncompromising position on territorial claims is bringing these nations together in a manner that I do not think Being ever predicted.

Asia Pivots To The U.S.

ST Illustration: Manny Francisco

James Jay Carafano, National Interest: America’s Next 5 Moves in the Indo-Pacific Region

Donald Trump has done much to alter U.S. influence in Asia.

Obama talked of pivoting to Asia. Donald Trump made Asia pivot to America.

In the last two years, Trump has done much to increase U.S. influence in the Indo-Pacific region. But much more needs doing. A fast start is well and good, the Indo-Pacific contest is a marathon, not a sprint.

Washington needs to seriously think how the United States can sustain the regional strategy over the long term—well past 2020. The goal is simple. Beijing has to respect America as a formidable Asian power—and concede that the United States is not going anywhere. And what the United States does there must be part of an overall strategy to stabilize key regions of the world and ensure the freedom of the commons (air, sea, space and cyberspace) that benefits the United States and all nations.

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WNU Editor: What has also helped U.S. strategy in Asia is the behaviour of China. From antagonizing its neighbours over border disputes, to Chinese trade and debt practices that have caused a great deal of resentment towards Beijing, many in the region are looking at the U.S. to step up and adopt a more assertive role. In the age of Trump this is happening, and what will probably continue long after he is gone.

U.S. Shifts Its Security Focus To The Western Pacific

ABC News Online: Donald Trump's top security advisers visit the Pacific, signifying growing US focus in the region

Two of Donald Trump's top security advisers have paid a rare visit to the Pacific in another sign that the United States is intent on thwarting China's strategic ambitions in the region.

The senior director for Asian affairs on the White House National Security Council (NSC), Matt Pottinger, visited Vanuatu and Solomon Islands last week for meetings with top politicians and officials. Mr Pottinger also visited Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

He was accompanied by Alexander Gray, who has just taken on a newly created position of director for Oceania & Indo-Pacific Security at the NSC — another sign of intensifying US focus in the region.

The NSC advises US presidents on defence and foreign affairs and has been at the heart of American security policy since World War II.

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WNU Editor: This shift should have been done a decade ago.

What Does The U.S.-China Rivalry Mean for America’s Allies in Asia?

Reuters

John S. Van Oudenaren, National Interest: What Does Growing U.S.-China Rivalry Mean for America’s Allies in Asia?

Could they end up having to choose sides?

At the recent G-20 summit in Argentina, President Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping reached a temporary truce, tapping the brakes on an escalating trade war, and opening a negotiating window to deal with major structural issues in the U.S.-China economic relationship. Despite this pause in tensions, an expert panel at the Center for the National Interest, which was comprised of Michael Green (Center for Strategic and International Studies), Scott Snyder (Council on Foreign Relations) and Robert Sutter (George Washington), described how America’s allies Japan and South Korea, are adjusting to Asia’s new normal. This new normal is a climate dominated by a more confrontational, perhaps even adversarial, U.S.-China relationship. Ret. USMC Lt. Gen. Wallace “Chip” Gregson, Jr., senior director for China and the Pacific at the Center for the National Interest and former assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, moderated the discussion.

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WNU Editor: The Singapore Prime Minister summed it up bluntly .... countries may need to choose sides .... Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong: Region May Have To Choose Between China And US (November 15, 2018).

Vice President Pence: No Place For 'Empire And Aggression' In Indo-Pacific

Mike Pence’s message to China: aggression has no place in Indo-Pacific

Al Jazeera: Mike Pence: No place for 'empire and aggression' in Indo-Pacific

Mike Pence's comments at Asia summit seen alluding to China and its aggressive claims over the disputed South China Sea.

US Vice President Mike Pence told leaders of Southeast Asian nations on Thursday there is no place for "empire and aggression" in the Indo-Pacific region, a comment seen as a reference to China's rise.

Pence did not mention China in his remarks at the opening of a summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Singapore, but he stressed all countries in the region should be allowed to prosper.

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More News On Vice President Pence's Remarks That There Is No Place For 'Empire And Aggression' In Indo-Pacific

Pence says 'empire and aggression' have no place in Indo-Pacific -- Reuters
Pence Calls for an Indo-Pacific Region Free of Chinese ‘Aggression’ -- The Wall Street Journal
Pence ups pressure on China, slams Beijing's 'aggression' -- Nikkei Asian Review
US Warns Against 'Empire and Aggression' in Indo-Pacific Amid Row With China -- Sputnik

Countries In Asia Are Trying To Find A Between The U.S. And China

US Navy Rear Adm. Bill Byrne, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, observes Indian, Japanese, and US ships from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during Malabar 2017 in the Bay of Bengal, July 17, 2017. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Holly L. Herline)

Christopher Woody, Business Insider: Countries in Asia are wary of China — and they're 'wondering exactly how far America would go'

* China and its neighbors have been rapidly enhancing their militaries in recent years.
* Countries in the region, worried about Beijing and uncertain about the US, are also looking to boost cooperation with each other.
* Beijing is in an advantageous position and can wield considerable influence.

Military spending has ramped up in Asia, led by China, whose addition of submarines to its fleet has inspired similar ambitions among its neighbors.

Beyond hardware, however, countries in Asia are also reassessing the balance of power there, contemplating how to engage China and what role the US — long a guarantor of security and trade in the region — will play going forward.

"Everyone out in Asia is, on one hand, scared of China, and, the other hand, they need China for trade," Mike Fabey, author of the 2017 book "Crashback," about tensions between China and the US in the Pacific, told Business Insider. "Also there's a real sense of, 'China's right here. America's on the other side of the world.'"

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WNU Editor: The comment .... "China is here and the U.S. is way over there" .... is the situation that these Asian countries are now facing. My prediction .... economic issues will trump all other issues and these Asian countries will try to find some balance with China. But they are not going to be happy. 

Pentagon Considering Sending Marine Expeditionary Units To Asia To Deter China

Reconnaissance Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force on the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) jump from a CH-53E Super Stallion during helocast training in the Gulf of Aden, May 28, 2015. US Marine Corps

Business Insider: The US is considering sending heavily armed Marines to Asia to counter China

* The Pentagon is considering sending Marine Expeditionary Units to Asia to deter Chinese influence in the region.
* Marine Expeditionary Units are capable of fighting in the land, air, and sea because they sail around in amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers.
* The possible depoyments are also intended to assure allies in the region that the US has a strong presence in Asia, and is capable of protecting allies.

On the heels of President Donald Trump’s recently unveiled National Security Strategy, which called Russia and China “revisionist powers,” the Pentagon is thinking about sending additional Marine Expeditionary Units to Asia, military officials told the Wall Street Journal.

MEUs are Marine detachments that sail around on amphibious assault ships like the Wasp and America-class. Essentially small aircraft carriers that can carry troops, the ships are capable of waging war on land, air, and sea.

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WNU Editor:  I suspect that this deployment will be one of many.

When China Eclipses The U.S. In Asia, What Will Happen?

Tobin Harshaw and Daniel Moss, Bloomberg: What Happens When China Eclipses the U.S. in Asia

A Q&A with Hugh White, a former top Australian official who feels Beijing has already filled the U.S. leadership void.

Contrary to what you might read or hear, President Donald Trump alone hasn't surrendered U.S. strategic leadership in Asia to China. What he has done is accelerate long-term trends that have severely diminished America's position in the Western Pacific, an area where the U.S. had held sway largely unchallenged since World War II.

That era of primacy is close to an end. In fact, the U.S. strategic position is eroding so quickly that even sharing the region with China isn't really a valid option any longer, argues Hugh White, a professor at the Australian National University in Canberra. America's allies in Southeast Asia and Australia say they don't want to choose between the U.S. and China, but underneath those platitudes, nobody in the region wants to make an enemy of Beijing. All the more so because officials increasingly doubt the U.S. will be there in the end, according to White.

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WNU Editor: Some believe that China has already eclipsed the U.S. .... especially on economic issues. I have a different opinion. America's trade imbalance with Asia in 2017 was an astounding $528 billion. Asia (specifically China) is dependent on this trade deficit to continue if they want their economies to grow. And while the U.S. military and political position in Asia may be in a decline, its economic importance on trade cannot be underestimated. My prediction .... the U.S. .... whether it is now or in the future .... is going to limit imports and it is going to use trade as a lever to influence countries .... and starting with China. Any doubts that the U.S. is in decline will end when that happens.But it is also true that in the long run China will dominate Asia .... it is just not going to happen as quickly as some would like to believe.

Is The U.S. Losing Asia To China?

Ben Westcott, CNN: Asia under Trump: How the US is losing the region to China

In just one year, US President Donald Trump has changed the way Asia looks at the United States.

The cornerstones of American power in Asia, Japan, Australia and South Korea, all lost a little faith in their longtime close ally and protector in 2017, according to Gallup polling.

No military assets have been withdrawn, no embassies closed, but the lack of interest expressed by a US administration focused on "America First" has deeply shaken its status in the region.

"Nowadays when we attend international conferences (around Asia), nobody really talks about the United States anymore ... it's a little bit strange," Chisuke Masuo, associate professor at Kyushu University's Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, told CNN.

Uncertainty about America's commitment to the region has prompted local leaders to strengthen ties with each other, to prepare for the day when the US no longer has their backs.

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WNU Editor: President Obama's "pivot" to Asia did not happen. And as for President Trump .... he is focused on North Korea, but he is more focused on Asian trade and economic issues that would benefit the U.S.. Is this wrong? Of course not. No one will be critical of the U.S. President if he wants the best for his citizens .... and it will not alienate U.S. allies in Asia. And as for China winning the region in Asia .... that is far from becoming a reality. We in the West do not truly understand the growing resentment that is now happening in Asia towards China. This does not only include boundary issues, but also the economic and political interference that China is now imposing on its neighbors.

U.S. Pacific Command Admiral: U.S. Has "No Desire" For New Military Bases In The Asia-Pacific Theater

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

US assets and personnel deployed in Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, are also devoted to the safety and security of the region. Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative

Reuters: U.S. has "no desire" for new military bases in Asia: admiral

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is placing renewed priority on Asia as it winds down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but has no desire for new bases in the region, the head of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific said on Friday.

Admiral Robert Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, said the military’s goal is to have a network of places close to the sea lanes of Southeast Asia where American forces can visit on rotation, avoiding the costly maintenance of bases.

“There is no desire nor view right now that the U.S. is seeking basing options anywhere in the Asia-Pacific theater,” he told reporters in Washington.

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WNU editor: This may change in the near future .... U.S. and Russia Wage New Arms Race to Counter China as Mattis Seeks Influence in Southeast Asia (Newsweek).

Trump Arrives In Japan To Begin Five Nation Asia Tour

L.A. Times: Trump arrives in Japan to open five-nation Asia tour

President Trump began a pivotal five-nation Asia tour in Japan early Sunday, speaking to troops upon landing at a U.S. air base outside Tokyo that would be a critical supply hub for any conflict in a region roiled by tension over nuclear-armed North Korea.

Donning a leather bomber jacket, and flanked by fighter jets inside a cavernous hangar, Trump described the troops as the “last bulwarks” against threats from “tyrants and dictators who prey on the innocent.”

No dictator should underestimate “our resolve,” Trump said without naming North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. He affirmed his administration’s commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific region” — a term defining an expansive sphere of influence that includes India and the Indian Ocean as a counter to a rising China.

"No one — no power, no regime — should underestimate the United States," the president said.

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WNU editor: The Japanese and their love for golf has always amazed me. This is why I am not surprised about this .... Abe duels with 'long hitter' Trump on golf course (AFP).

More News On President Trump Starting His Asian Trip

Trump calls Japan ‘crucial ally’ as he kicks off Asia trip -- AP
Trump lands in Japan, says U.S. and allies are prepared to defend freedom -- Reuters
Arriving in Japan, Trump projects confidence, says he'll probably meet Putin during Asia trip -- Washington Post
Trump plans to meet with Putin during Asia trip -- The Hill
Trump Starts Asia Trip Setting Expectations for Putin Meeting -- NBC
Trump sets aside bellicose rhetoric in opening address to Asia trip -- Politico
Trump Warns Against Challenging US on First Stop in Asia -- Bloomberg
Trump enters diplomatic minefield on marathon Asia tour -- AFP
Trump’s 5-nation trip will reflect US commitment to Asia -- Asian Age
Trump in Asia: A beginner's guide to trade, threats and tweets -- BBC

President Trump Heads To Asia -- News Updates November 3, 2017

Washington Post: Trump heads to Asia where concerns are growing over possible war with North Korea

President Trump departed Washington on Friday for his first visit to Asia, a 12-day swing through five countries that comes as the once unthinkable has become a palpable concern from Tokyo to Seoul to Beijing — a war with a nuclear-armed North Korea.

Trump’s escalating rhetoric and Pyongyang’s accelerating weapons programs have set the region on edge and prompted national security adviser H.R. McMaster to declare this week that the world is “running out of time” to stop the North.

“North Korea is a threat to the entire world,” McMaster told reporters at the White House.

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President Trump Heads To Asia -- News Updates November 3, 2017

Trump, dogged at home, heads on longest presidential Asia trip in years -- Reuters
Trump extending Asia trip to include key summit -- The Hill
Trump to stay in the Philippines extra day to attend East Asia Summit -- Politico
Donald Trump heads to Asia for 12-day tour in shadow of Russia probe -- ABC News Online
Trump Departs For Long Asia Trip Amid North Korea Tensions -- Radio Free Europe
Trump warns China Japan could take action on N. Korea -- AFP
Trump touts relationship with 'warrior nation' Japan ahead of Asia trip -- CNN
Putin, Trump may meet next week at APEC summit -- Reuters
Why Is Trump in Asia? Schedule of Events in Korea, China, Vietnam, Philippines and Japan -- Newsweek
Security and trade challenge Trump on first Asia trip -- AP
North Korea Casts Shadow Over Trump’s Asia Trip -- Paul D. Shinkman, US News and World Report
In Asia, Donald Trump must act as US explainer-in-chief -- Michael Knigge, DW
What You Need to Know About Donald Trump's First Trip to Asia As President -- Fortune
Everything You Need to Know About President Trump’s Grueling Asia Tour -- Time
Donald Trump's five Asia-Pacific challenges -- James Reinl, Al Jazeera

Will The U.S. Always Defend Its Asian Allies?

U.S. President Donald Trump meets South Korea's President Moon Jae-In and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead the G20 leaders summit in Hamburg, Germany July 6, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Brian Padden, VOA: Doubts Growing US Will Always Defend Asian Allies

SEOUL — In South Korea and Japan there is increasing support for the deployment of nuclear weapons to defend against the growing North Korean threat, and due to public concern that the U.S. may no longer be counted on to aid allies with extended nuclear deterrence.

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency estimates North Korea may have as many as 60 nuclear weapons, and that it might have successfully miniaturized nuclear warheads to fit on its arsenal of 1,000 missiles.

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WNU Editor: South Vietnam was once a U.S. ally.

Is A U.S., Japan, South Korea, Australia, And India Security Agreement In The Works?

Lalit K Jha, Live Mint: US, Japan to advance security, defence cooperation with India, Australia

North Korea’s dangerous provocative behaviour prompts the US and Japan to advance their multilateral security and defence cooperation India, S Korea, Australia.

Washington: The US and Japan have agreed to advance their multilateral security and defence cooperation with countries like India, South Korea and Australia in view of North Korea’s dangerous provocative behaviour, leaders of the countries have said.

The threat posed by North Korea was discussed by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono, defence secretary James Mattis and his Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera.

The four officials have strongly encouraged China to take decisive measures to urge North Korea to change its course of action.

“We will cooperate to advance trilateral and multilateral security and defence cooperation with other partners in the region, notably the Republic of Korea, Australia, India and other south-east Asian countries,” Tillerson told reporters at a joint news conference with Kono, Mattis and Onodera.

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WNU Editor: North Korea may be the public reason why these 5 nations are forming a more comprehensive security arrangement, but my gut is telling me that it is China that is the primary reason why these nations are going to work together.

U.S. Pacific Command: There Are 3 Major Threats Challenge The Pacific

An M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System from 1st Battalion, 18th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Republic of Korea/United States Combined Division, fires an MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile into the Sea of Japan July 5.. The U.S.-South Korea exercise came in response to North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.. (Army)

Military Times: PACOM commander: 3 major threats challenge the Pacific

The head of U.S. Pacific Command said the region is focused on three major threats: North Korea, China’s interactions in the South China Sea, and the Islamic State spreading to the Philippines.

Navy Adm. Harry Harris discussed the challenges facing the Asia-Pacific community during the Japan-U.S. Military Statesmen Forum in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

North Korea, which launched its 11th missile test this year on Friday morning, is an “immediate threat to our alliance,” Harris said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has tested more missiles than his father and grandfather combined, he added.

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WNU Editor: I agree.

Is The White House Adopting An Aggressive Stance With U.S. Allies And Foes In Asia?

President Trump with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea on Friday at the White House. Credit Pete Marovich for The New York Times

New York Times: Trump Takes More Aggressive Stance With U.S. Friends and Foes in Asia

WASHINGTON — President Trump hardened his treatment of allies and adversaries in Asia this week, pressing South Korea’s visiting leader to overhaul a landmark trade agreement with the United States a day after announcing a series of steps that angered China.

Meeting on Friday with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, Mr. Trump demanded more access to Korean markets for American cars and less of what he called “dumped” Korean steel in the United States — all part of an overhaul of the five-year-old free trade agreement with South Korea that he derided as “not exactly a great deal.”

“Very important steps,” a stern Mr. Trump said in the White House Rose Garden, standing next to Mr. Moon. “They have to be made. Not fair to the American worker if they are not. And they will be.”

The president reaffirmed the American security alliance with South Korea against the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea. But he showed little patience for Mr. Moon’s hope for engagement with the North — something analysts said could be a future source of friction between the leaders.

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WNU Editor: Just one point of disagreement with the above New York Times post. President Trump has adopted a more aggressive stance with many countries in Asia (friend and foe) .... but President Trump has not adopted that stance with the two largest U.S. allies in the region .... Japan and India .... and that in itself is very telling.