Here in the United States, reaction to President Trump’s first State of the Union address was pretty much split along party lines. But how did the speech play in Asia? HPR’s Bill Dorman takes a look in today’s Asia Minute.
The China Daily led with President Trump’s plans for defense spending and infrastructure repairs. Also mentioning immigration policy and low popularity ratings. And the communist party publication quoted Trump listing China and Russia as U.S. rivals.
The South China Morning Post went bigger on that theme—headlining: “Donald Trump Brands China a Major Rival in U.S. Reboot of Great Power Strategy.”
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation highlighted political divisions in Congress, and the country with the headline “Donald Trump’s State of the Union Call for Unity Falls on Deaf Ears.”
Japanese papers mentioned trade policy and North Korea—one headline said, “Trump’s First State of the Union Speech Rehashes Stances, Reveals Few New Details on North Korea, Trade.”
A sharper focus on the North came from South Korea, where the Korea Times headlined “U.S. Serious About Precision Strike on North Korea.”
Several publications in India looked to the audience.
The widow of an Indian engineer shot dead in a hate crime last year in Kansas attended the speech as the guest of her congressman.
He said he invited Sunayana Dumala “as a message to the Indian community that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants and they are welcome here.”
