Trump’s Asia report: Deals, DPRK and America First

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US President Donald Trump has completed his five-nation tour, flying home from Manila on November 14. Trade and the DPRK were the focus on the US president’s first diplomatic trip to the continent, which took him to Japan, South Korea, China, and an APEC meeting in Vietnam before rounding off the visit in the Philippines with an ASEAN meeting and the East Asia Summit.

Here’s what Trump said, ate, tweeted and achieved at each leg of his longest foreign trip as president:

1. Japan

November 5-7 (Tokyo)

- Highlights: Golf diplomacy with Abe; koi feeding in the Akasaka Palace; audience with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

- Outcomes: Trump highlighted the Japan-US trade imbalance and was rebuffed in his push for a trade deal with Japan, which instead made progress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership – without the US -- at APEC; the sides did agree to address trade issues related to automobiles and life sciences; both agreed that maximum pressure should be placed on the DPRK, and it was not the right time for dialogue with Pyongyang; Trump urged Japan to buy more US military equipment.

- On the menu: Cheeseburgers, Wagyu beef, lobster salad, vanilla ice cream.

2. South Korea

November 7-8 (Seoul)

- Highlights: Standing ovation for hardline address on DPRK to the National Assembly; late attempt to visit the DMZ thwarted by fog; lunch with US and South Korean troops at Camp Humphreys.

- Outcomes: Commercial deals worth 17 billion US dollars announced; both sides committed to continuing efforts to force the DPRK to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs; agreed to immediate negotiations over South Korean purchases of US military assets; agreed payload restrictions on South Korean missiles would be immediately removed; agreed to further consultations on Korea-US free trade agreement.

- On the menu: Grilled Korean beef rib in a 360-year-old soy sauce, sole, shrimp, Tex Mex.

3. China

November 8-10 (Beijing)

- Highlights: Bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping; tour of Forbidden City and viewing of Peking Opera; Melania Trump at Beijing zoo and Great Wall.

- Outcomes: Commercial deals worth 253.5 billion US dollars were struck; China agreed to ease market access in the financial industry and gradually reduce tariffs on automobiles; US agreed to stick to one-China policy; both agreed to promote “complete, verifiable, irreversible” denuclearization on Korean Peninsula, and cooperate on fighting terrorism and bringing peace to Afghanistan.

- On the menu: Stewed beef in tomato sauce, Kung Pao chicken, seafood chowder, coconut-chicken soup.

4. Vietnam

November 10-12 (Da Nang (APEC meeting), Hanoi (state visit))

- Highlights: Attacked “unfair trade” and the WTO; chats with Russian President Putin created headlines; traded "short and fat" insults with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

- Outcomes: Trump set out a US vision at APEC for the Asia-Pacific based on bilateral trade; other member economies backed a multilateral vision, and the TPP-11 agreed to press ahead with the trade pact without the US; deals worth 12 billion US dollars were signed between the US and Vietnam on energy and aviation; the sides agreed to deepen defense cooperation.

- On the menu: Sautéd cod, Dong Tao chicken, fried scallop, seafood soup.

5. Philippines

November 12-14 (Manila)

- Highlights: Bilateral talks with Philippine President Duterte, Indian PM Modi, Japanese PM Abe and Australian PM Turnbull; Duterte sang a Filipino love song at a gala dinner “on the orders of US President Donald Trump”; first skipping, then attending, finally skipping the East Asia Summit.

- Outcomes: Duterte told Trump the Philippines was “an important ally” of the US; the sides agreed to hold further discussions on a Philippines-US free trade agreement; Trump and Modi agreed to increase defense cooperation and highlighted growing India-US energy cooperation; Trump, Abe and Turnbull reaffirmed a commitment to apply “maximum pressure” on the DPRK.

- On the menu: Steak sushi, red snapper in miso, grilled Barramundi fillet, caramel flan.