As Donald Trump embarked on his whirlwind tour of Asia, many were left wondering what tangible benefits Asian countries secured from their meetings with the US president. On paper, Malaysia secured trade deals with several nations, including Brazil and Thailand, while Vietnam pledged to increase its US purchases dramatically. However, critics argue that these agreements may be little more than a means for Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam to curry favor with Trump in exchange for relatively meager concessions from the US.
While some analysts point out that these deals do offer Asian nations some much-needed economic respite, others claim that they are unlikely to translate into significant improvements in their trading relationships with the US. "It's indeed puzzling what the four south-east Asian countries might get in return for signing the trade deals and frameworks with the US," says William Yang, a senior analyst at the Crisis Group.
One notable exception appears to be Japan, where Trump secured a framework securing the mining and processing of rare earths and other minerals. This deal is seen as crucial given China's ongoing export ban on these critical materials, which has left Japan struggling to secure supplies. However, some argue that this agreement may have more to do with Trump's personal charm than any concrete benefits for Japan.
In South Korea, Trump signed a $350 billion trade deal with the country, including $200 billion in cash investment and $150 billion in shipbuilding. While this deal has significant implications for Seoul's economy, it remains unclear how much of a boost it will provide to its trading relationship with the US.
Perhaps most significantly, however, was the meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to South Korea. The two leaders agreed on an immediate pause in their trade war, which has eased tensions between the two nations and provided some respite for other countries caught in the middle of the conflict.
But despite these apparent successes, many critics remain unconvinced that Trump's Asian tour achieved anything more than a short-term boost to his popularity with regional leaders. As Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, notes, "Apec is meant to be more than a venue for a trade war truce; it's supposed to promote multilateral cooperation and address crucial economic challenges." Trump's absence from the Apec meeting has left these issues unresolved.
While some analysts point out that these deals do offer Asian nations some much-needed economic respite, others claim that they are unlikely to translate into significant improvements in their trading relationships with the US. "It's indeed puzzling what the four south-east Asian countries might get in return for signing the trade deals and frameworks with the US," says William Yang, a senior analyst at the Crisis Group.
One notable exception appears to be Japan, where Trump secured a framework securing the mining and processing of rare earths and other minerals. This deal is seen as crucial given China's ongoing export ban on these critical materials, which has left Japan struggling to secure supplies. However, some argue that this agreement may have more to do with Trump's personal charm than any concrete benefits for Japan.
In South Korea, Trump signed a $350 billion trade deal with the country, including $200 billion in cash investment and $150 billion in shipbuilding. While this deal has significant implications for Seoul's economy, it remains unclear how much of a boost it will provide to its trading relationship with the US.
Perhaps most significantly, however, was the meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to South Korea. The two leaders agreed on an immediate pause in their trade war, which has eased tensions between the two nations and provided some respite for other countries caught in the middle of the conflict.
But despite these apparent successes, many critics remain unconvinced that Trump's Asian tour achieved anything more than a short-term boost to his popularity with regional leaders. As Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, notes, "Apec is meant to be more than a venue for a trade war truce; it's supposed to promote multilateral cooperation and address crucial economic challenges." Trump's absence from the Apec meeting has left these issues unresolved.
, you know when they used to be super close and stuff? I mean, now it seems like everything is all about China and the US 
. I don't get why Trump is making a big deal out of these trade deals, Malaysia just gets some peanuts compared to what Japan got with that rare earths thingy 
. And South Korea, $350 billion is a lot of cash, but will it really help them trade better with the US? 
I'm not convinced Trump's Asian tour was all about progress and cooperation, more like just him trying to charm everyone with his... erm... unique personality 
. And that Apec meeting, what a letdown, no real multilateral cooperation 
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i mean on one hand, those countries did get some decent trade deals 
but honestly, it feels like trump was just trying to be all buddy buddy with asian leaders and get some brownie points 
don't even get me started on japan's deal 
The only good thing I can see is the China-US trade war pause, but let's be real, that's not exactly a long-term solution either.
They're not just gonna sit back and watch while Trump and China make their own deals behind our backs.
. And don't even get me started on the "dramatic" increase in US purchases from Vietnam – we all know that's just a bunch of empty words 
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. Nobody wants to talk about how it really affected the region or the global economy, do they? 
. I mean, sure, Japan gets some sweet rare earth deals but is it really about China or just Trump being his charming self 
? And what about Malaysia and Thailand? They're basically doing Trump's bidding just for the sake of having him show up at their meetings 
I think we're all missing the bigger picture here – what about actual economic benefits for these countries?
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. Like, are we just going to ignore the fact that most of these countries are still struggling financially? 
The only deal that even remotely makes sense is with Japan, but it's still super suspicious that Trump basically swooped in and saved them because he's a fanboy 
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? It's all just so... transactional. I need someone to come along and actually start making some meaningful changes, not just waving a magic wand and expecting everything to work out 
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our school is having a project day and i really hope we get some decent laptops for the students 
but anyway back to trump... i think japan got lucky with that rare earths deal 
. These trade deals are supposed to be some kind of big deal, but I'm not convinced they're going to make that much difference for Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, or Vietnam in the long run.
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. and south korea got a bunch of cash from him, but does that really mean anything for their economy? probably not 
. and don't even get me started on the trade war truce with china 
but at the end of the day, it's still unclear what they're gonna get from these trade agreements 
And don't even get me started on the Apec meeting – it feels like Trump just used it as an excuse to flex his muscles and boost his popularity 
Meanwhile, Japan & South Korea are still trying to figure out what these deals mean for their trade relationships 
, while japan gets the rare earths deal, which is basically just a fancy word for "china's problem, trump's solution" 
. and south korea? well, that $350 billion trade deal sounds like a nice napkin to wipe away some of their economic troubles, but let's not get too excited just yet 
Like, where's the real progress being made here? I'm not buying all this "trade deal" hype until I see some real changes. 
. and south korea? $350 billion trade deal? that's a whole lotta cash 
. Was he just trying to charm his way into getting some good deals, or was there something more strategic going on? 
Either way, I think it's clear that a lot of people are still skeptical about whether Trump's Asian tour actually accomplished anything meaningful