At a time when the United States of America appears to be preoccupied with its domestic fissures, conflicts in the Middle East and in Ukraine, and growing tensions with Venezuela, President Donald Trump’s visit to East and Southeast Asia this week represents an important sign of Washington’s interest in the Indo-Pacific region. As often happens with US presidents, his hosts have tailored schedules to give Mr Trump centre stage. In Malaysia for the East Asia Summit, Mr Trump oversaw the signing of a peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand: he characteristically insisted that he brokered a ceasefire between them earlier this year after deadly border clashes. Then, he flew to Japan to meet the new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. From Japan, he travelled to South Korea. After meeting the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung — their dialogue led to Seoul lowering some tariffs on US goods — Mr Trump is now preparing for the centrepiece of his trip: a much-anticipated meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, today. Mr Trump’s myriad meetings in the three countries he has visited will however have done little to assuage fears in Asian capitals that the US under him cannot be trusted on any long-term commitments. Diplomacy is a business deal for Mr Trump — nothing more, nothing less.
That is why even though he was widely feted by his hosts, Mr Trump and his team were also reminded on more than one occasion that while bullies — especially unpredictable ones — might be feared, they do not command respect. The Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, joked, to Mr Trump’s face, about how the US president, accused in multiple court cases, nearly ended up in jail. India’s external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, also did not shy away from directing barbs at the US. In his address to the East Asia Summit, Mr Jaishankar referred to Mr Trump’s use of tariffs to punish countries selectively: India has been hit with a 25% levy for its purchase of Russian oil, but China and the European Union, which buy even more energy from Moscow, have not faced similar penalties. Mr Jaishankar also emphasised how terrorism cannot be combated except in a consistent manner in an apparent allusion to Washington’s renewed warmth towards Pakistan, despite Islamabad’s continued support for groups that attack India. Ultimately, the world, including India, appears to be catching up with Mr Trump: if he insists on treating relationships as hollow transactions, the world will now reciprocate.