Trump sets out for Asia with hard line on economics
in Washington in Beijing
DONALD TRUMP will demand that China stops its “predatory” trade policy or face the consequences during his Asia tour this week, in a row that threatens to overshadow the visit.
The White House briefed journalists that the president will send a “clear message” for China to stop undermining US companies by giving state support to its own firms.
The tough message risks undermining efforts to build support in the region for increased pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme. It also opens up the US president – who has adopted an “America First” agenda – to charges of hypocrisy during a diplomatic blitz that is being closely scrutinised at home.
Mr Trump’s Asian “marathon” will see him visit five nations in 11 days – the longest overseas trip of his presidency so far. On the agenda is cementing support of the “Indo-Pacific”, a sphere of influence including Japan, India and Australia that America hopes can rival China’s power in the region. Before heading to Air Force One on Friday, Mr Trump lauded the “goodwill” he had built up with leaders in Asia since taking office.
However, behind the scenes, aides are nervous. Mr Trump is said not to enjoy travelling, often ensuring he was back in his Trump Tower bed after campaign outings last year.
The tour – which will take in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines – was originally planned as two separate trips, but has now been combined into one. The last president to visit Asia for so long was George HW Bush in 1991. It ended with him vomiting on the Japanese prime minister and collapsing with flu.
The White House is reportedly scrambling to make sure Mr Trump, whose culinary experimentation rarely goes beyond well-done steak, is put at ease. “No whole fish with the heads still on, nothing too spicy,” is the message to hosts, according to one insider quoted by CNN.
Energy is also being spent on ensuring Mr Trump is briefed on the intricacies of South East Asian politics, not least about Rodrigo Duterte, the strongman leader of the Philippines.
For their part, other leaders have rolled out the red carpet. In Japan, golf with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and professional player Hideki Matsuyama beckons, while in China there will be a tour of the Forbidden City.
Mr Trump stopped in Hawaii ahead of the trip alongside his wife Melania. They were both presented with the traditional lei flower chain on Friday as they disembarked.
The pair visited Pearl Harbor, where 2,300 US service personnel died in the surprise 1941 attack that took America into the Second World War, and scattered flower petals as a mark of respect.
North Korea will be the obvious focal point of the tour. Mr Trump is seeking allies in an escalating war of words with “rocket man” Kim Jong-un, the regime’s young leader.
The president will find his closest allies in Japan. Mr Abe is a conservative hawk who favours confronting Pyongyang – a resolve which has hardened since Mr Kim fired two missiles over Japanese territory in the summer. South Korean President Moon Jae-in initially sought to reach out for negotiations with the North after being elected in May, but has seen tensions ratchet up as a response. Mr Trump wants China, North Korea’s biggest supporter, to cut off economic ties. However, Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, is said to fear what would follow if the regime collapsed.
A hard line on trade may not help. A senior US administration official said this week: “The visit will send a clear message that, for bilateral economic relations to be sustainable over the long term, China must provide fair and reciprocal treatment to US firms and cease predatory trade and investment practices.”
The frustration is that US companies are not getting “fair access” to China’s markets due to state support, exacerbating the $300billion (£230billion) trade deficit that infuriates Mr Trump.
Wilbur Ross, the US secretary of commerce, is travelling to China to hammer home the point, while 29 chief executives will be in Beijing ready to sign deals worth billions of dollars.
But the response looks set to be firm resistance. Beijing said ahead of the visit that China never “intentionally pursued a trade surplus” with the US. Some in the country argue it is US regulations limiting access to certain technologies that have curbed free trade, making it difficult for Chinese companies to import in those sectors. Bai