Totally agree. I'm not passing any judgments on what they did. It's just that in other areas of policy, they've been apprehensive about China so I'm shocked to see this. They must have had good reasons for doing this so I want to better understand their perspective on this and how that ties into those countries' strategy for managing an emerging superpower that rivals their traditional ally.

Relations between China and other Asian countries aren't as bad as what the western mainstream media portrays. China is far more willing to negotiate win-win deals, and is far less of a boogeyman/invader, than what mainstream media wants you to believe. Pompeo visited many countries, urging everyone to 'unite and stand up against the bully that is China', but the reality is very different from that narrative, and as a result Asian countries signed the RCEP instead.

The Western narrative of China is a bubble of alternate reality. This RCEP event shows you just how alternate it is.

South Korea is a trading nation, and is in favor of free trade. South Korea defaults to yes for trade deals. US is an ally, but if US is against free trade, South Korea will not go with US. Unlike US, international trade is of vital importance to South Korea.

Judging by the numbers I would say international trade is of vital importance to the US.

US trade to GDP ratio is <30%. For South Korea, it's >70%.

Doesn't the US have a free trade agreement with Korea?

It does.

Australia has never been and will never be a sovereign nation. It used to be part of the british empire and is now part of the american led anglo-protectorate. They are part of the anglo world and I can't ever see us letting them leave.

Sovereign nations don't have foreign occupation forces. Japan and SK are occupied client/vassal/satellite states. We can call them allies if we want to save face, but if china or russia had occupation forces there, we'd call them vassals or satellites or client. Ultimately that's what they are.

We'd never call warsaw-pact nations sovereign states, wonder why we call japan or sk sovereign states?

Let's go back before the British arrived. There were many (and still are) many sovereign indigenous nations in what's now known as Australia

> There were many (and still are) many sovereign indigenous nations in what's now known as Australia

There are no sovereign indigenous nations in australia. You will not find them as members in the UN, you will not find them on maps, they cannot form any sovereign treaties with other nations, etc.

The idea of "sovereign indigenous nations" is just virtue signaling. Maybe one day they will be free and sovereign nations, but I seriously doubt it.