US President Donald Trump began a visit to Asia on Sunday, landing in Japan to underscore US commitment to a region that his administration is increasingly referring to as the “Indo-Pacific”—something China is watching with increasing wariness.
The high point of the trip is expected to be Trump presenting “the US vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region” in a speech in Vietnam on 10 November, the White House said in a statement ahead of the visit. It comes months after Trump announced US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership—a 12-nation trade pact clinched in 2016—aimed at bolstering the US position in the Asia-Pacific region, where Chinese influence is seen as growing.
Analysts and policymakers in India are closely watching the 3-14 November Asia visit, that will see Trump stop off in South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines besides Japan—the longest trip by a US President to the region in two decades, according to reports.