In a rare moment of bipartisan consensus on foreign policy, Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haass praised President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Japan as a textbook example of smart diplomacy — and a strategic prelude to the upcoming high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Speaking on MSNBC, Haass — no MAGA loyalist, but a seasoned foreign policy veteran — described the trip as “a perfect lead-up” to Trump’s China meeting and commended the president for reinforcing America’s strategic partnership with Tokyo. That’s no small compliment, especially coming from a former Bush administration official and longtime critic of Trump’s more unorthodox approach to international affairs.
But this wasn’t Trump’s typical “America First” bluster. This was old-school diplomacy — and it delivered results.
On Tuesday, Trump stood alongside Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to announce key trade agreements involving rare-earth minerals and liquefied natural gas. These aren’t throwaway deals. Rare-earths are critical components in advanced technologies — everything from smartphones to fighter jets — and Japan remains a vital global player in this market. Locking in strategic cooperation here sends a loud message to Beijing: the U.S.-Japan alliance is active, focused, and economically aligned.
“This could not have gone better,” Haass said. “If you want to deal successfully with China, you need Japan on your side.”
And he’s right. Japan is the world’s third-largest economy, boasts one of the most advanced military forces in the Indo-Pacific, and is the linchpin of U.S. strategy in the region. Trump’s decision to lead with an embrace — rather than his often-criticized stiff-arming of allies — was a deliberate shift in tone. It worked.
Haass called it “an embrace,” and that’s the key point. Trump didn’t just sign trade agreements — he sent a diplomatic signal that the U.S.-Japan alliance is not only intact, but thriving. That’s not just good for Trump politically — it’s good for American power projection in East Asia.
The Japan visit is just one leg of Trump’s broader Asia tour, which is shaping up to be surprisingly consequential. He’s already locked in trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia, helped de-escalate tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, and laid the groundwork for deals with Vietnam and Thailand. That’s a full diplomatic sweep — all before even sitting down with Xi.
Critics have often painted Trump’s foreign policy as chaotic, reactive, or too transactional. But here we see something more strategic: a coherent regional approach, built on bilateral trade deals, conflict mediation, and alliance reinforcement — all setting the stage for a confrontational but calculated dialogue with China.
So while the press may have been too busy parsing the optics, the policy outcome tells a different story. Trump’s Asia trip is delivering tangible results — and, perhaps more importantly, demonstrating a willingness to lead with diplomacy instead of disruption.
