December 29,2017 Special Forum

A Political Perspective

From November 3 through November 14, 2017, President Donald J. Trump traveled to Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines on a lengthy tour of East and Southeast Asia. The White House described the trip as focused primarily on three issues: “strengthening international resolve to denuclearize North Korea, promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and advanc..

Scott W. Harold
BRI , CPTPP , Donald Trump , Indo-Pacific strategy , Quad , TPP
December 29,2017 Special Forum

An Economic Perspective

The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States in November 2016 created shock waves across the Asian countries that had been the targets of his campaign rhetoric. Candidate Trump had accused China of “outrageous theft of intellectual property, … illegal product dumping, and … devastating currency manipulation,” characterized the South Korea-US free trade agreem..

William W. Grimes
BRI , CPTPP , Donald Trump , KORUS FTA , RCEP , TPP
December 29,2017 Special Forum

A Security Perspective

Despite much anticipation and concern, President Donald Trump wrapped up his East Asia trip without making unexpected moves. Although Trump realized economic gains by striking multiple business deals with Asian partners, he made little progress in achieving his primary objective of taking one step further toward resolving the North Korean nuclear problem. 1 As Trump put more focus on econo..

Shin Beomchul*
Donald Trump , Hwaseong 15 , Indo-Pacific strategy , Super 301 , UNSCR 2397 , US-ROK alliance
December 29,2017 Special Forum

A Civilizational Perspective

Donald Trump is pressing his idea of “America First,” which could have deep civilizational implications, undercutting “universal values” and adding momentum to recent assertiveness about distinctive civilizations by the leaders of the other great power players in Northeast Asia. Putting the emphasis on Abe Shinzo, this article considers the impact of what each leader i..

Kazuhiko Togo
America First , China Dream , Donald Trump , Gosudarstvennost , Shinzo Abe , Take Back Japan
December 23,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: China (December 2017)

In late 2017, Chinese analysts explored Japan’s response to the North Korean nuclear crisis, its warmer relations with Russia, and conciliatory economic cooperation with the United States. They also analyzed South Korea’s foreign policy strategies, the implications of the Malabar exercises for Chinese interests in the Indo–Pacific, and the prospects for repairing Sino–Indian r..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
America First , Donglang dispute , Malabar exercises , middle power , THAAD , US-Japan alliance
November 15,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (November 2017)

From September to November of 2017, South Korean news editorials discussed Trump and Moon’s UN speeches and the growing dissonance in their approaches toward North Korea. They also covered bilateral dynamics, emphasizing US-North Korea relations, US-South Korea economic relations, and China-South Korea détente over THAAD. Lastly, South Korean media traced Trump’s visit to Asia,..

Eun A Jo
APEC , KORUS FTA , Moon-Xi summit , Trump-Moon summit , Trump-Xi Summit , UN General Assembly
October 30,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (October 2017)

The October issue of Bungei Shunju traced Abe’s trajectory as prime minister. It noted his persistent interest in Japan playing a leading global role, keeping US ties as the foundation of foreign policy while strengthening relations with other countries including China and Russia. In 2014, China was the target, as Abe sought a first meeting with Xi at APEC in Beijing. The tricky war an..

Editorial Staff
BRI , BRICS summit , comfort women , Senkaku Islands , THAAD , UN sanctions
October 26,2017 National Commentaries

A South Korean Perspective

As surreal as the current talks of war between the two angry leaders are, many outsiders often wonder about the calmness of South Koreans, even while facing a belligerent northern neighbor that fires missiles, tests nuclear bombs, and repeatedly threatens a war of annihilation. It is true that Koreans have grown inured to perennial threats from North Korea for decades, and are not easily sha..

Joon-hyung Kim
Donald Trump , Moon Jae-in , Resolution 2375 , THAAD , US-South Korea-Japan
October 23,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: China (October 2017)

In the summer of 2017, Chinese analysts continued to evaluate Chinese policy toward North Korea and attempted to understand the Trump administration’s policy toward China and the broader Asia–Pacific. They also evaluated the lessons of Japan’s public diplomacy toward ASEAN and examined worsening China–India and China–South Korea relations. North Korean Nuclear CrisisIn rema..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
AIIB , America First , BRI , Nuclear Suppliers’ Group , THAAD , US-South Korea-Japan trilateralism
October 23,2017 Open Forum

The Eastern Economic Forum September 2017: What to Make of It?

For the third straight year in early September Vladimir Putin traveled to Vladivostok for an international forum with ambitious aspirations. Three objectives stood in the forefront: 1) to spur development of the Russian Far East, thereby solidifying the continued sovereignty by Russia over this distant and sparsely settled frontier; 2) to “integrate” Russia into the Asia-Pacific r..

Gilbert Rozman
Keywords: economic development , security policy