Possible new provocation by Pyongyang sets stage for Trump’s Asian visit
US president will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hawaii from November 3-14
The North Korean nuclear crisis will dominate the agenda of US President Donald Trump’s six-stop Asia trip in early November as Japan and South Korea’s top officials anticipate further possible provocations from North Korea on October 10 and October 18.
Trump likely will use his visit to discuss with China the full enforcement of existing United Nations sanctions against North Korea and call for more demonstrations with its allies, South Korea and Japan, of their trilateral defence capability against Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests, analysts said.
Trump will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hawaii from November 3-14, the White House said on Friday morning, seeking to reassure those nations of the US’s commitment to preserving security and its economic relationships in the region.
During the trip, Trump also will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in the Philippines.
The White House said the president will emphasise the importance of “fair and reciprocal” economic ties with America’s trade partners, and pursue international support for achieving the “complete, verifiable and irreversible” denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
Bonnie Glaser, director of China Power Project at Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the South China Morning Post that North Korea would “dominate the agenda” with China and all the countries that he visits and at the APEC Summit.