Buckle up for a volatile year of Trump-Xi, Taiwan and Kim

THIS is the season when columnists turn to prophecy, and then congratulate themselves a year later for getting some of it right. I’m about to join the club. 

As I predicted at the end of last year, Asia in 2025 revolved around three main forces: the blossoming bromance between US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping, rising pressure on Taiwan, and a newly emboldened Kim Jong Un drawing closer to both Moscow and Beijing.

These dynamics will only get more obvious in 2026. The region is heading into an increasingly precarious year, with deepening tensions that will have a cascading effect on all of us.