Can anyone trust Kim’s promises – or Trump’s?

Recent actions that Congress and President Trump have taken threaten to shatter a crucial, delicate balance in U.S. policy towards Taiwan. Their conduct provokes China and is heightening already worrisome tensions between Washington and Beijing. U.S. officials need to reassess their course of action before it triggers a major crisis in East Asia.

Mike Pompeo, President Trump’s likely nominee to be the next Secretary of State, should be seen as a signal that the administration of President Trump is about to paint China as the new public enemy number one.

In a telltale sign of improving bilateral relations, the Philippines and China have announced a preliminary agreement to pursue a joint development agreement in the South China Sea.

The Trump-Kim summit is a beginning, but there’s no telling how it’ll end.

Peace and development remain today’s prevailing theme.

Tillerson’s replacement by Pompeo will see a more hawkish State Department, especially on China.

With the selection of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, China in particular is more likely to become a target of the Trump administration.

Cooper and Douglas presented four visions of U.S. strategy towards China: primacy, balance, concert and integration. President Trump’s persona, rhetoric and actions suggest that he will lean more towards primacy with an element of balance in dealing with China. Primacy and balance constitute viable strategies in dealing with an emerging rival, but over reliance on these two unnecessarily limits U.S. foreign policy maneuverability and poses serious danger.

The summit will accomplish almost nothing if no conditions are set, and the summit will not materialize at all if too many conditions are put on the table.