“The big question of our time is how the US sees the Indo-Pacific,” said a European diplomat recently.

It’s a question being asked in a swathe of capitals ranging from those in the Indo-Pacific to Southern Asia and of course Europe. It flows from what are seen as the contradictory postures of the Trump administration towards the region.

Thus, there are demands from Washington that the states of the Indo-Pacific including long-standing allies and partners like Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, spend more on defence to counter China.

At the same time, USAID has been dismantled and there’s no commitment on advancing the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Worse still, is the tariffs and penalties being slapped on Tokyo, Seoul and others.

What Trump intends to do with AUKUS (now under

See Full Page