Assessing Trump's Trip to Asia

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President Donald Trump recently completed a 12-day trip to Asia, with stops in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and including attendance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. The announced agenda included building cooperation to pressure North Korea on its nuclear weapons and missile programs, addressing what Trump has denounced as unfair trade practices by Chin and other states in the region, and promoting a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” Key goals included assuaging doubts among allies about the strength of the U.S.’s commitments, underscoring the U.S.’s rejection of Trans-Pacific Partnership-style multilateral economic agreements, and advancing the personal diplomacy with foreign leaders that has characterized the Trump presidency. Among observers, expectations of concrete accomplishments were relatively low. Avery Goldstein (FPRI and University of Pennsylvania), June Teufel Dreyer (FPRI and University of Miami), and Jacques deLisle (FPRI and University of Pennsylvania) assess the aims, outcomes, and future implications of Trump’s trip.