Asian leaders appear to have found the key to winning favour with U.S. President Donald Trump during his first trip to East and Southeast Asia since returning to the White House \u2014 lavish praise and ceremonial gestures.<\/p>\n
Over the course of his five-day tour, which concluded on Thursday with a high-profile meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump has been met with a steady stream of admiration and symbolic gifts from regional leaders seeking to strengthen ties and seal trade deals.<\/p>\n
In Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hailed Trump\u2019s \u201ctenacity\u201d and \u201ccourage\u201d for brokering what he called the \u201calmost impossible\u201d ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia.<\/p>\n
In Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi praised Trump\u2019s \u201cpeace efforts,\u201d saying she was \u201cimpressed and inspired\u201d by his diplomacy and had even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n
In South Korea, President Lee Jae Myung presented Trump with a replica gold crown from the ancient Silla kingdom and the country\u2019s highest state honour, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, during the APEC leaders\u2019 summit in Gyeongju.<\/p>\n
The gestures coincided with all three countries finalising trade agreements with the U.S. after months of negotiation. Even China, despite its often tense relationship with Washington, joined in the chorus of compliments \u2014 with Foreign Minister Wang Yi calling Trump and Xi \u201cworld-class leaders\u201d who \u201crespect each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Analysts say the flattery reflects both cultural tradition and strategic calculation. \u201cAsia has a long history and rich experience in dealing with kings and emperors,\u201d said Henry Gao, a professor at Singapore Management University. \u201cThis tradition of showing respect and admiration toward leaders is deeply rooted in the region\u2019s culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
The charm offensive underscores Trump\u2019s reputation as a leader who responds strongly to personal praise \u2014 a trait noted even by his former allies. \u201cHe will always put his own interests and gratifying his own ego ahead of everything else,\u201d former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr said in a 2023 interview with CBS News.<\/p>\n
At home and abroad, it seems, Trump\u2019s diplomatic interactions remain as much about ego management as geopolitics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Asian leaders appear to have found the key to winning favour with U.S. President Donald Trump during his first trip to East and Southeast Asia since returning to the White House \u2014 lavish praise and ceremonial gestures. Over the course of his five-day tour, which concluded on Thursday with a high-profile meeting with Chinese President …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-50291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tie-world","tag-top-story"],"yoast_head":"\n