Between a rock and a Thaad place

IN the confusing environment generated by US President Donald Trump, in which he has criticised his allies more than America's opponents, the trip by Defence Secretary James M Mattis to Seoul and Tokyo was reassuring, with the US reiterating its defence commitments to South Korea and Japan. It was the first such reaffirmation of American policy by a senior administration official since the inauguration of the Trump administration.

China responded to the American statements as expected, denouncing the US-Korea decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) anti-missile system and opposing America's long-standing policy of including the Senkaku islands under the umbrella of the US-Japan security treaty. China claims those islands, which it calls the Diaoyus.

Since Mr Trump's inauguration on Jan 20, he has managed to muddy the waters by constant carping criticism of his allies, including Nato and Australia, making it unclear whether the US still stood by its allies in East Asia.