Pence could reinforce his influence during Asia-Pacific tour

US Vice-president Mike Pence begins a more than week-long tour of the Asia-Pacific and Hawaii on Sunday with a stop-off in Seoul followed by visits to Tokyo, Jakarta, Sydney and Honolulu. In a trip designed to underline continued US commitment to key Asia-Pacific alliances and partnerships, including the 40th anniversary of US-Asean relations, the No 1 item in the first half of the trip will be North Korea.

Last week, US President Donald Trump made clear prior to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping that if Be…