Donald Trump has approved a deal with South Korea to equip its navy with nuclear-powered submarines. Combined with Trump’s aggressive posture toward China, the move will further exacerbate tensions in a volatile region.

At the beginning of November, after a tour spent collecting tributes and flattery across East Asia, Donald Trump left behind a region that has been further destabilized by his ignorance and impulsive behavior.

The one-year trade truce between the United States and China dominated media coverage of the last leg of his itinerary, which took in the South Korean city of Gyeongju and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The brief lull in hostilities between the two powers will not address their growing economic and military rivalry.

The territorial and military ambit

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