President Donald Trump has spent two years waging trade wars, distant diplomacy and embrace of Beijing that have undermined the four-nation Asia-Pacific alliance created to counter a rising China.
Next week, he is due to sit down for the first time with Quad leaders.
The meeting with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia – scheduled for Monday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in the Philippines – comes as the other three members of the Quad alliance bristle at what they see as Trump’s contempt and mistreatment of them.
“The Quad is on life support,” said a Washington-based Asian diplomat, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of his comments. “It’s not dead yet, but it needs strong leadership.”
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