Eichengreen’s comments come as Trump prepares to make his first visit to Asia since becoming president.
The trip, during which North Korea is expected to dominate the agenda, starts on Friday and will see Trump visiting Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Phillippines. It comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea following the communist dictatorship’s repeated nuclear tests in defiance of international sanctions.
Eichengreen said that Trump’s administration had two main concerns about Asia, North Korea and trade with China, and said the former was more important.
The political rhetoric between the U.S. and North Korea has escalated in recent weeks to the point where Trump said the U.S. was “totally prepared” to use “devastating” military action against the country if necessary.
For its part, North Korea — a country largely politically and economically isolated, although it still has waning support from China — said that the U.S. had “lit the wick of war.” Over the last few days, however, an impasse seems to have set in with neither side adding fuel to the fire.
Speaking in Seoul on Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that “diplomacy remains our preferred course of action.” But he added: “Make no mistake — any attempt on the United States or our allies will be defeated.”
Eichengreen said that the U.S. would have to work with China over North Korea, and would have to compromise. “The U.S. needs Chinese cooperation on North Korea and, in addition, it will have to give North Korea something in return for talks. That something will be the missile withdrawal, U.S. troop reductions on the Korean peninsula, something will have to be offered.”
