Asia Would Welcome Trade Deals That Exclude China
Disrupting Beijing’s dominance would suit the US and its partners in the region.
Disrupting China’s trade dominance would suit the US and its Asian partners.
Source: AFP/Getty Images
In any conflict, you have to recruit allies. Unfortunately for Donald Trump, that’s also true of his trade war. Some of his advisors understand this: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent intends to use the “90-day pause” he won from the president to round up old friends and encircle China.
Given that Washington is trusted far less in Asia these days, that might be a big ask for Bessent and his colleagues. But we shouldn’t dismiss the effort out of hand, either. Many countries would be happy to see the current structure of Trump’s tariffs — disproportionately targeted at China — continue indefinitely.