Trump, Abe in Florida for golf diplomacy
WEST PALM BEACH, United States: After reportedly hitting it off in Abe played golf before ending the day with Korea’s missile test.
As part of a two-day visit that began in Washington, Abe and Trump jetted to the US president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida together on Friday aboard Air Force One for more diplomatic talks and a round of golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
Trump tweeted a photograph in which he is wearing a white baseball Japanese leader who is dressed in white pants and a navy blue cap.
“Having a great time hosting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the United States!” Trump commented.
In a subsequent statement on Saturday, the White House said Trump “enjoyed hosting Prime Minister Abe on the golf course today, which was both relaxing and productive.”
“They had great conversations on a wide range of subjects, and the president looks forward to further discussions with the prime minister at dinner this evening.”
Saturday’s evening schedule took an unexpected turn after North Korea falling into the Sea of Japan, according to the South Korean defense ministry.
Trump and Abe appeared at a hastily arranged press conference, with the US president saying simply: “I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent.” He did not elaborate. Abe denounced the launch, which as “absolutely intolerable.”
Charm offensive
The temperamental Trump was on the charm offensive Friday when he greeted the Japanese leader with an affectionate hug, dropping his previous harsh rhetoric towards Tokyo and ensuring America’s commitment to Japan’s security.
Abe, who has emphasized that his golf skills are not on a par with the billionaire Republican’s, US President Donald Trump gives the thumbs up next to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Trump’s Mar-aLagoresort in Palm Beach, Florida. welcomed the opportunity to “take time to talk with Donald about the future of the world and the future of the region.”
The Japanese prime minister has spent more time with Trump than any foreign leader since the reality TV host’s election, as world powers grapple with how to engage with the mercurial American president who conducts some of his diplomacy via Twitter.
Abe’s work-and-play date with Trump evokes a similar outing made by the Japanese leader’s grandfather, former prime minister Nobusuke Kishi, who more than half-a-century ago sported a polo and hit the links with former US president Dwight Eisenhower.
Deep ties
Trump has dramatically shifted his stance on Asia in recent days, after campaigning on an “America willingness to toss out existing agreements and relationships.
Late Thursday, he reaffirmed Washington’s “One China” policy -- a decades-old position that effectively acknowledges that Taiwan is not separate from China -- in what he called an “extremely cordial” phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The vow to “honor” the diplomatic code represented a 180-degree turn for Trump, who had suggested the matter was up for negotiation and could form part of talks on trade, eliciting Chinese ire.
Early Friday, Trump also signaled to Abe that his administration would work to cement US-Japanese relations.
The leaders were both looking to mend ties that were strained by trade deal and his readiness to question US defense commitments.
“The bond between our two nations and the friendship between our two peoples runs very, very deep,” he said. “This administration is committed to bringing those ties even closer.”
Trump also pleased Tokyo when he said in a statement that the United States would defend Japan if China were to seize the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu in China.
US First Lady Melania Trump and Abe’s wife Akie meanwhile toured a Japanese culture museum and garden complex in Florida where they saw a bonsai exhibi