Quotes from Sean King Park Strategies

(Concerning Shinzo Abe's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine) "This might be just the thing to push South Korean President Park Geun Hye a little bit closer back in China's direction, just as she was presumably pulling away.

Beijing will express total outrage at the [UN tribunal] ruling, refusing to acknowledge its validity. Vietnam and others will politely applaud a favorable Manila ruling, as it'll knock down Beijing a peg or two and thus, at least rhetorically, strengthen their own posture versus Beijing.

Considering Taiwan would only use these planes for defensive purposes, it was a short-sighted blunder on the administration's part not to sell Taiwan the new planes," Sean King, vice president of Park Strategies, told The Hill. "We can't let ourselves be bullied by Beijing. After all, the United States is mainland China's No. 1 nation-state export market. Beijing needs us more than we sometimes realize."

How can [Germany] be criticized for making things that people actually want to buy? And why encourage Germans to buy things they don't need with money they don't have?

Malaysia's kind of 'whatever,' but missing the Philippines hurts, as Manila's been such a key cog in America's Asia pivot wheel," says Sean King, senior vice president with the political consulting firm Park Strategies in New York and Taipei, Taiwan. "It's a lost opportunity for sure."

Taiwan, by its nature, is in a unique international position and it has to stand up for itself where and when it can.

The BBC's candid observations and unfortunate experiences in Pyongyang this week spoke to the extreme level of control under which people there are forced to live. I'm not optimistic."

The U.S. has little choice but to respond forcefully, said Sean King, an East Asia specialist with the Park Strategies consulting firm in New York. "Sadly, Beijing only understands force and resolve. It's good that our allies know we have their backs."