Mr Trump has now landed in Japan. It is not only a hard-line trade agenda at the centre but also the North Korea issue which has come in the fore. While the White House has talked about pressing China and other Asian countries on trade, it is not asking the Chinese to initiate any major steps during this trip. Administration officials are reported to have said the White House wanted to avoid accepting incremental measures when it is seeking a more wholesale change in the trade relationship. Moreover, according to many analysts he is likely to make a much stronger argument on mustering regional pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs than on overhauling the trade relationships between Asia and the United States.
We expect the Asian leaders to engage Mr. Trump to put more pressure on Myanmar to declare Rakhine State as an exclusive safe zone for the Rohingyas. China has a crucial role to play in this regard – it should place the issue on the table for restoring regional peace and stability and put an end to the humanitarian crisis. Simultaneously, repatriation doesn’t necessarily guarantee safety and security for the refugees. The stronger possibility is that, they may well be systematically butchered when they return.
In his initial official remarks in Japan, he has already sent clear signals to North Korea and the rest of the region that American military might and strong US alliances in the region remain a critical deterrent. That said – the remark has already set the tone for his rest of the journey which will take him next to South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines for nearly two weeks of powerhouse diplomacy.
We have enough reasons to be optimistic that President Trump will use this visit to formulate an effective way of dealing with another emerging North Korean type brutal regime in Myanmar. The USA in cooperation with other countries must stop Myanmar for its policy ignoring human rights and ethnic cleansing. Everyday the Muslim Rohingyas are being forced to leave their own Rakhine State which was not part of Myanmar. Rohingyas cannot be forced to go back to live in Myanmar without security of their lives and property.
