The fruitful Xi-Trump meeting at Mar-a-Lago and the Mattis speech at the Shangri-la Dialogue give us reason to believe that “freedom of navigation” may not be the totality of the US’ South China Sea policy or that of its Asia-Pacific strategy. China-US relations are still on the track of steady development.

How can China and America address the Korean Peninsula crisis? China needs to convince North Korea to disband its ongoing nuclear program. And both North Korea and the United States must reduce aggression in order to ultimately increase stability.

If the DPP continues to create obstacles for cross-straits relations out of its selfish partisan interests, there is ample reason for us to feel concerned about the state of mainland-Taiwan relations in the next three years.

The Asia Pacific policy statement had all the core ingredients of the Obama administration, even though labels such as “rebalance” and “pivot to Asia” were missing. While the sense of continuity was reassuring, if the region is looking for creative and new approaches to maintain regional peace and stability, it must have been disappointed.

Doing nothing is not an option. Taking limited steps in the Security Council like the June 2nd U.N. resolution, while welcome, still lack substantive action to drastically alter the security situation on the peninsula. The hair trigger for a misstep and disaster grows tighter every day that Kim Jung-un remains unbound and unrestrained.

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ speech used the Shangri-La Asia Security Dialogue as a platform to criticize some Chinese actions, but also offer options for cooperation regarding Korea. He reassured allies, reaffirmed alliances, and expressed a generally cooperative stance to resolving international challenges.

President Trump’s first budget is a preliminary fulfillment of his promises to increase defense spending, improve military readiness, and strengthen the armed forces. But special interests in Congress – and some big legal questions – make its final adoption and form unpredictable.

As China’s new Cybersecurity Law is now irrevocably coming into force, the question is more what foreign businesses can do to adapt to or mitigate the law’s effects. China’s political project remains self-generation in all senses of the world, which nearly automatically means limited or controlled engagement with foreign commercial counterparts. Foreign businesses need to understand this in order to position their own potential contribution to that process of development as a path to growth.

The lack of clarity and consistency in the Trump administration’s approach to Asia is creating a security dilemma in the region. U.S. action and inaction has left room for a possible arms race and further instability in the region. The United States must begin consistent policy of engagement and a clear strategic approach in Asia in order to quell the budding security dilemma the current atmosphere presents.

Particularly after the election of the progressive Moon Jae-in as president of South Korea, it is opportune to consider whether American policy toward the North is due for a radical rethinking.