IN the sweltering haze of Kuala Lumpur’s October sun, Donald Trump descended like a colossus onto the tarmac. His trademark red tie flapped defiantly against the tropical breeze, instantly commandeering the stage of global diplomacy. Fist-pumping with unbridled vigour, he joined traditional dancers in a spontaneous whirl. He transformed a routine arrival into a spectacle of American bravado that went viral across continents. It also symbolised his unapologetic dominance in a region long shadowed by subtler powers.
This was no mere courtesy call. It was Trump thundering back onto the world arena, asserting his role as the unchallenged architect of economic fortresses and strategic bulwarks. It was curated to dictate terms to allies and adversaries alike during a whirlwind tour that spanned Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. He blended bombastic rhetoric with billion-dollar deals, all while subtly reshaping alliances on Asia’s volatile chessboard.
Revival rhythm
Trump’s agenda was pulsed with the rhythm of revival. It aimed to etch his vision of a unipolar world order where the US orchestrates the flows of trade, security, and influence. Kicking off in Malaysia at the 47th ASEAN Summit, he wasn’t just conspicuously present. He orchestrated.
By overseeing the signing of a historic peace pact between Cambodia and Thailand, he positioned himself as the indispensable peacemaker in a border dispute that had simmered for decades. “This is huge, folks – nobody else could have done it,” he boomed at a press gaggle. It was a move that not only stabilised Southeast Asia’s fringes, but also opened doors for American firms to tap into the region’s untapped resources.
IN bilateral huddles with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Trump sealed a staggering $70-billion pledge for investment in US infrastructure and tech, framing it as a “winwin” that would create jobs back home while binding Kuala Lumpur closer to Washington’s orbit.
Jetting to Tokyo next, Trump’s presence loomed large over bilateral talks with Japan’s newly-minted first-ever female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. Trump pressed for deeper defence ties and resolutions on longstanding issues like North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens.
In his usual boast during a press encounter, Trump declared: “Japan is a great ally, but we need fair deals – no more free rides.” These statements weren’t mere platitudes. They were calculated to reinforce the US’s strategic architecture, signalling to Tokyo that under his watch, America would anchor the Indo-Pacific against rising threats.
The crescendo came in South Korea, at the APEC Summit in Busan, where Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in a high-stakes sidebar that averted an impending tariff war. Trump posted on social media: “We had an amazing talk – China respects strength.” He also disclosed a framework agreement that dialled back from the threatened 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for commitments on intellectual property and market access.
Later, he signed bilateral engagements with South Korean President Lee Jaemyung which yielded an $18.8-billion deal for US exports. But in Korea, the focus sharpened on denuclearisation, with Trump expressing openness to meeting North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, harking back to his earlier ‘fire and fury’ diplomacy that he now recast as prescient peacemaking. Yet, this peacemaker persona rings hollow when juxtaposed with his actions back home. While boasting about stopping wars and fostering global stability, Trump announced the resumption of US nuclear weapons testing after decades of moratorium, a provocative step that escalates tensions rather than diffusing them.
Subtler narrative
His utterances, delivered with his signature flair, were designed to project Trump as the global director who mended fences with economic giants while fortifying US leverage in strategic hotspots. However, beneath this blitz of bonhomie and bargains lurked a subtler narrative. Critics thought it was a discreet diplomatic manoeuvre to diminish India’s stature in the Asian theatre. For the first time in years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opted out of the ASEAN-India Summit, a glaring absence that amplified whispers of strained ties and strategic sidelining.
Modi, a powerful voice of the Global South, has championed a multipolar world order. He has worked hard to rally developing nations against perceived Western hegemony through forums like BRICS and the G20. His ‘blowing hot and cold’ approach of cosying up to Russia amid Ukraine tensions while courting Western tech investments has positioned India as a pivotal swing state, with its economy roaring as the world’s fastest-growing and fourth-largest.
A crude exercise
Driven by personal ego, Trump’s tour was designed to eclipse this ascent. It was a crude exercise to bypass New Delhi in favour of direct engagements with India’s neighbours and rivals. Trump’s rhetoric on Modi revealed this undercurrent of tension wrapped in flattery. Repeatedly dubbing Modi his “dear friend” and a “tough guy,” Trump has embarrassed the Indian leader by boastfully claiming credit for averting an Indo-Pakistani war, a narrative India has never corroborated.
Trump softened tariffs on South Korea and Japan. He inked pacts that eased barriers on autos and electronics, and even thawed relations with China through phased reductions. But India faced no such reprieve. US duties on Indian steel, aluminium, and textiles remain stubbornly high. “India’s a great country, but they hit us hard – we hit back harder,” he remarked in Tokyo, underscoring a policy that punishes India’s export ambitions while rewarding others.
This selective benevolence extended to Southeast Asia, where Trump announced trade frameworks with Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam in exchange for tariff exemptions on American exports. But it conspicuously omitted India. Instead, Trump’s strategy appeared to encircle India, bolstering ties with nations wary of New Delhi’s growing influence, such as Vietnam amid South China Sea disputes.
Pragmatic calculus
Ironically, despite Trump’s unpredictable, irrational, and bullish conduct marked by impromptu dances, off-script rants, and a history of abrupt policy U-turns, Asian capitals unrolled red carpets with fervour, indulging him beyond measure. Japan bestowed a ceremonial gold medal and crown, symbols of imperial honour rarely granted, while South Korea presented bespoke gifts evoking shared military history, including a custom hanbok embroidered with eagles. These gestures reflected not just protocol but a pragmatic calculus.
Trump’s maverick style delivers tangible wins, from peace pacts to investment influxes, making him a gamble worth taking in a world of uncertainties. Lavish welcomes extended to him underscore Asia’s enduring fascination with American power. In this grand endeavour to etch his legacy, Trump weaves nationalism into every thread, proclaiming America First while donning the mantle of global peacemaker. Reaching into Asia, a realm relatively untouched by his first-term adventurism focused on West Asia and Europe, he now pivots eastward with zeal.
Fleeting illusion
But is this odyssey aimed at isolating India, the behemoth economy surging with innovation and demographic might? By minimising Modi’s role, Trump risks overplaying his hand. India’s rise, fuelled by digital revolutions and green energy leaps, defies containment. Its partnerships span Moscow to Washington, rendering any attempt to sideline it a fleeting illusion. Trump may maximise his maverick identity through these assertive forays. But if they come at the expense of alienating the world’s fastest-growing powerhouse, he is bound to suffer setback. In the multipolar dawn Modi heralds, Trump’s unipolar dreams may fracture against the resilient rise of the Global South.