Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The circumstances of the meeting between Kim and Pompeo are far less significant than its consequences. Despite the odd timing and public exposure, the Trump administration has used a proven channel to attempt an extraordinary mission.
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with President Donald Trump again, it is important to also consider the implications of domestic political crises for the U.S.-Japan alliance in the long term.
Democracies will increasingly have to choose between raising wages and redistributing income or maintaining free trade and capital flows. Because they are likely to choose the former, the world may face a long-term reversal of globalization.
The Trump Administration’s protectionist measures against China are guided by politics rather than economics. Instead of tariffs, the United States should address its concerns by upgrading the WTO system and moving forward with the Bilateral Investment Treaty with China.
The central question isn’t whether China might continue to confound norms so much as what, precisely, is required for it to do so. And that, as ever, hinges on whether the Chinese government can strike the right balance between state intervention and market forces.
Nearly twenty years ago, the leaders of Japan and South Korea raised hopes for “a new Japan-Korea partnership for the twenty-first century,” backed by an action plan to foster broader cooperation and closer people-to-people ties.
Xi Jinping’s China intends to position itself at the heart of the geopolitical game.
The Trump administration’s “free and open Indo-Pacific” will likely provoke China, alarm other Asian nations, and drive the region into a tense, zero-sum competition. Such a confrontational posture risks a pointless Cold War with Beijing.
While China is unlikely to have a debt crisis, it will face more difficulties when making the adjustment as debt accumulates. A strong leadership may then be required to implement necessary reforms.
This Chinese-language monthly offers objective and original policy analysis on China for American and Chinese researchers and policymakers.
The Carnegie Asia Program in Beijing and Washington provides clear and precise analysis to policy makers on the complex economic, security, and political developments in the Asia-Pacific region.