Trump Wins: Asia Reacts

Asia is standing by for the second Trump Presidency set to begin in early January, and a term that is set to bring a familiar unpredictability into the region, and its relationship with the USA..

Trump's scattergun approach to foreign relations in his first term saw him threaten to dissolve old alliances. withdraw US forces from the region, and enter a tariff-based trade war with China.

In his second term, Trump has already signalled a stronger and more active advancement of his "America First” policies, including a swift return to trade tariffs that would hurt Asian partners, but also raise costs markedly for Americans at home.

Export-led economies across the region would feel the burn, including US allies like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Indian PM Narendra Modi was quick to congratulate the President elect, saying he was looking forward to “renewing our collaboration”.

In China, the official Xinhua News Agency described the election as one of the "most divisive in history".

In South Korea, Yonhap News warned the election result may spell trouble for the US-South Korea alliance, which Donald Trump has criticised on multiple occasions as bad for the US.

Seoul is worried a new Trump presidency will mean a renegotiation of a recent defence cost-sharing deal between the two nations. Trump recently called South Korea a "money machine" and a "wealthy country", and suggested it should be paying the US billions of dollars to retain the presence of the 28,500 U.S military personel in the country.

The Korea Herald reports that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un may seek a second summit with Trump in the coming four years, but hopes of a meaningful solution to the nuclear issue will remain elusive.

In Tokyo, the Japan Times reports on the possible upheaval the country may face with a second Trump term. The country has been asked to "do more" in support of its own defence, and that refrain is expected to be repeated once Trump returns to the White House. Defence spending and policy has changed radically in Japan over the last five years. For the moment though, most Japanese are more focused on their own elections in a few weeks time.

The Philippines President Marcos joined the chorus of congratulations, commenting that his country is "fully committed to the durable partnership” with the US, its treaty ally.

In Taiwan, President William Lai congratulated Trump on social media.

“Sincere congratulations to President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your victory. I’m confident that the longstanding #Taiwan-#US partnership, built on shared values & interests, will continue to serve as a cornerstone for regional stability & lead to greater prosperity for us all,” he wrote on X.

Meanwhile the local Taipei Times warned of possible economic headwinds, but also possible benefits to Taiwan if a new Trump administration went ahead with hefty tariffs on Chinese imports.

And in Jakarta, the Post commented on hopes by Indonesians living in the US, looking to an improved relationship between the two countries, while the Jakarta Globe suggested Indonesia be prepared to align itself with the new administration, and deal with any tensions arising from its recently-proposed membership of the BRICS+ bloc, which has expressed a desire to move away from reliance on the US dollar and create its own Reserve Currency.

• Asia Media Centre