John L. Thornton China Center

[Trump's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership] had a devastating impact on US credibility in the region. This has been further exacerbated by the lack of any clear articulation of a new economic engagement strategy by the current administration. The perception of US decline is causing [TPP nations] to hedge by seeking greater cooperation or improved relations with China.

The Swedes are very good at [establishing trust and playing intermediary between North Korea and the world]. The Swedes have often played that kind of a role in diplomacy of various kinds. They are seen, in some measure, as an honest broker.

At the time [in the mid-1970s], [North Korea] wasn't doing so badly. After the Korean War, their economy was rebuilt, it became a functioning industrial state, still very aid-dependent — but it wouldn't have seemed like such a bad bet, under the circumstances.

One of the notable aspects of this trip [to China and other countries in Asia] is the paucity of outcomes it produced. ... It appears Donald Trump invested a lot of energy into developing good chemistry with other leaders, but we haven’t yet seen that translate into good outcomes for U.S. citizens.