"There is growing concern in Tokyo and Seoul that US President Donald Trump's approach to Ukraine and China is part of an overall transactional foreign policy that could eventually upset long-standing alliance structures in northeast Asia. The Trump administration's recent 28-point "peace plan" for Ukraine turned out to be a rewrite of pre-existing, maximalist demands laid out by the Kremlin."
"On China, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Trump intends to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as many as four times over the course of 2026, including a state visit to Beijing in April and a reciprocal visit to the US later in the year. Bessent said the meetings would give the bilateral relationship "great stability," as Trump attempts to smooth ties with Xi after launching a bruising trade war."
Tokyo and Seoul worry that a transactional US foreign policy under Trump could erode long-standing alliance structures in northeast Asia. The administration's 28-point "peace plan" for Ukraine mirrored Kremlin maximal demands and signaled a possible willingness to abandon Ukraine despite later adjustments. Trump plans multiple meetings with Xi Jinping in 2026, including reciprocal state visits, aiming to stabilize US-China ties after a harsh trade conflict. Observers in Japan and South Korea interpret US outreach to authoritarian leaders as risking similar outcomes in the Pacific, with Taiwan seen as particularly vulnerable, raising questions about American reliability.
Read at www.dw.com
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