Asian nations walk away with mixed results from Donald Trump's whirlwind tour of Asia.
While Trump secured new trade deals with Malaysia and Japan, critics are left wondering if his Asian counterparts got a fair shake. In Malaysia, the US president collected pledges from Vietnam to increase its US purchases, but analysts say the four countries may not get much in return for signing trade deals that require difficult commitments.
In Thailand and Cambodia, Trump's absence was notable, as he had helped broker an expanded ceasefire agreement just days earlier. However, some experts argue that his decision not to attend the Asean meeting has left crucial economic challenges unresolved at a multilateral level.
In Japan, Trump met with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who hoped to realize a "new golden age" in US-Japan relations. The two signed up to a framework securing rare earths and other minerals, a critical issue given China's shock export ban. However, critics say that the deal may not address the underlying tensions between the US and Japan.
In South Korea, Trump pushed through a deadlocked $350 billion trade deal with his counterpart Lee Jae Myung, including $200 billion in cash investment and $150 billion in shipbuilding. The deal has been criticized for its potential controversy, but some experts say that it may help to ease tensions between the two nations.
Overall, while Trump's Asian tour was marked by several notable achievements, analysts say that the region's nations have yet to reap significant benefits from his visit. As one expert noted, "the more turbulent the times, the more we must work together" - but for now, it seems that Asian nations are left waiting to see how their trade deals with the US will play out in practice.
While Trump secured new trade deals with Malaysia and Japan, critics are left wondering if his Asian counterparts got a fair shake. In Malaysia, the US president collected pledges from Vietnam to increase its US purchases, but analysts say the four countries may not get much in return for signing trade deals that require difficult commitments.
In Thailand and Cambodia, Trump's absence was notable, as he had helped broker an expanded ceasefire agreement just days earlier. However, some experts argue that his decision not to attend the Asean meeting has left crucial economic challenges unresolved at a multilateral level.
In Japan, Trump met with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who hoped to realize a "new golden age" in US-Japan relations. The two signed up to a framework securing rare earths and other minerals, a critical issue given China's shock export ban. However, critics say that the deal may not address the underlying tensions between the US and Japan.
In South Korea, Trump pushed through a deadlocked $350 billion trade deal with his counterpart Lee Jae Myung, including $200 billion in cash investment and $150 billion in shipbuilding. The deal has been criticized for its potential controversy, but some experts say that it may help to ease tensions between the two nations.
Overall, while Trump's Asian tour was marked by several notable achievements, analysts say that the region's nations have yet to reap significant benefits from his visit. As one expert noted, "the more turbulent the times, the more we must work together" - but for now, it seems that Asian nations are left waiting to see how their trade deals with the US will play out in practice.
i mean, securing new trade deals with malaysia and japan is awesome, but at what cost? like, we're not really sure if those deals are gonna translate to real benefits for all parties involved... and what about thailand and cambodia? didn't feel like trump even showed up, which is weird considering he helped broker that ceasefire agreement just days prior 
. japan's deal on rare earths is a good start i guess, but let's not forget china's export ban has already shown us how tricky international trade can get 
. and south korea... well, that $350 billion deal is definitely a big number, but we should keep an eye out for potential controversy 
. I mean, who needs some fancy trade deals when you're just gonna get played by China anyway? 
And let's be real, Malaysia and Japan are basically just pawns in the US game. They got taken for a ride, imo. Meanwhile, Thailand and Cambodia were left out of all the action and now they're stuck with nothin' to show for it. 
And don't even get me started on Japan's "rare earths" deal - like, what's the point of that? It's not like it's gonna make a difference in the grand scheme of things. 
. And what's up with Thailand and Cambodia not even getting a meeting with Trump? That does seem kinda weird considering he helped broker that ceasefire agreement just days before 
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. I mean, the US-Japan deal might seem like a win, but it's all just band-aids on a much deeper wound 
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. We need to work together, but it feels like we're all just waiting around to see how things play out before we even start talking 
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. Thailand and Cambodia were basically ignored, which is weird considering how much they rely on the US for economic stability. And Japan's rare earths deal seems like a total non-starter to me 
. Overall, I feel like the Asian nations are stuck waiting for something that might not even happen 
. So, I think there are still some unresolved economic challenges floating around out there, even if they didn't get addressed during Trump's visit 
- China's export ban has definitely added an extra layer of complexity to things. And in South Korea, that $350 billion trade deal might just help ease tensions between the two nations 
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. While there were some notable achievements, it's clear that a lot more work needs to be done to really reap the benefits of these trade deals 
China's export ban is still a big elephant in the room - are we just kicking the can down the road? 
the dude did secure some trade deals, but like, what's the real benefit here? and thailand & cambodia being snubbed is straight up weird 
. it feels like trump was just using these countries to get his own agenda across, rather than actually listening to their concerns 
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! I mean, he did get some decent trade deals going on, but is it really worth it? Like, Malaysia and Japan are all stoked about the new trade agreements, but will they actually lead to something tangible? 
. South Korea's $350 billion trade deal is super interesting, though - I wonder if it'll ease tensions or just create new ones 
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. But overall, I think Asia's still waiting to see how all these trade deals are going to play out in practice 
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malaysia, thailand, cambodia... they're all just hopin for somethin 2 come outta these new trade deals 
but like, why do they have 2 even agree on somethin if it's just gonna be all controversy