Abstract
When President Donald Trump said in his inaugural address that trade “protection would lead to great prosperity and strength” and withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, many East Asians were unfazed. Trump was a businessman. He might bargain for better trade deals but would not abandon America’s lucrative partnerships with the world’s most dynamic region. Three years on, with a US-China trade war in full swing and the World Trade Organization under siege, these hopes have faded.