Trump's call to shrink South Korea drills linked to Seoul's warmer China ties by ex-CIA officer
美前官员:特朗普缩减美韩军演规模 都怪韩国对华太好
A former senior CIA officer, Scott Uehlinger, told Al Jazeera that Donald Trump's sudden demand to scale back US-South Korea joint military exercises masks Washington's displeasure with Seoul's improving relations with China under President Lee Jae-myung. Trump publicly cited cost and his rapport with Kim Jong Un, along with South Korea's refusal to join an Iran mission, as his reasons. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began on schedule August 17 with at least 18,000 South Korean troops, though the extent of the cut remains unclear.
The view from inside
The article, sourced from the nationalist-leaning outlet Guancha (观察者网) and republished by Sina, frames the story as an American ex-official 'seizing the opportunity to make an issue' (借题发挥) by dragging China into a…
Free. The read from inside China is the part we ask you to sign in for.