US media are concerned that President Trump's absence from the APEC Summit may jeopardize America's influence in the region.
, which is consistent with his well-known disdain for large multilateral forums that have traditionally been used to address major global issues, and he prefers one-on-one diplomacy, which can sometimes lead to major deals or at least generate interesting headlines. However, his open indifference to APEC diplomacy this weekend may damage America's reputation in the forum, which represents nearly 40% of the world's population and more than half of global goods trade. This also contrasts with China's approach.
However, some analysts describe the Trump administration's Asian policy as a "ship without a rudder." "He seems not to want his hands tied by a disciplined, consistent strategy," said Michael Green, who worked in the National Security Council of former US President George W. Bush and is now the director of the American Institute in Australia in Sydney, when talking about Trump's Asian affairs.
Gao Myeong-hyun, an analyst at the Korea National Security Strategy Institute, said it remains to be seen whether Trump's personalized foreign policy will erode America's influence and leadership. "Of course, America's reputation will be worse than the long-standing idealistic internationalism that the world has had toward the United States," Gao said, "but it is too early to conclude that America's status and strength are really declining."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847447200626688/
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