US-China ties: It's not a clash of civilisations

TRYING to deconstruct President Donald Trump's foreign policy and national security agenda has become a full-time job for diplomats and pundits in Washington, DC, and in other world capitals.

In fact, many of those studying the subject have concluded that there is probably no grand strategy when it comes to the current White House occupant's approach to world affairs; that there is no guiding geopolitical vision that could be described as a Trump Doctrine.

Instead, there is a sense among American and foreign officials who interact with members of the Trump administration's foreign policy team that the current president makes most of his decisions in this area based on his gut feelings, responding on an ad hoc basis to outside pressures and evolving crises, and that he improvises a lot and adjusts to changing circumstances.