Latest news with #RSIS
CNA
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Russia-linked website evades Singapore government blocking with new branding, study finds
SINGAPORE: A Russia-linked inauthentic news site that was blocked by the Singapore government last year has resurfaced in a new guise, according to a local study. Researchers from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) found evidence that which is accessible in Singapore as of Thursday (Jun 5), shares the same operator and similar content as blocked website "While content does not appear hostile to Singapore, its creation and activation in the immediate aftermath of deactivation raises many questions," RSIS senior fellow Benjamin Ang and associate research fellow Ms Dymples Leong said. "There was no known response from the publishers of but the MHA's (Ministry of Home Affairs') action seems to have prompted them to respond by rebranding rather than shutting down." was one of 10 inauthentic sites set up by foreign actors that MHA and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced on Oct 22, 2024 that they were blocking. The authorities said at the time that those 10 sites could be used to mount hostile information campaigns in Singapore, although none had done so. The RSIS researchers previously uncovered links between and which is connected to 5+1 Media, a Russian communications agency. They used open-source intelligence tools to establish the link between and and share the same internet protocol (IP) address, which a reverse IP search found is associated with The country-code top-level domain ".ru" is for Russian entities. Both sites also share the same identification number for Yandex Metrika, a web analytics service that tracks and reports online traffic. The service is provided by Yandex, a Russian internet company that runs a widely used search engine. was created on Mar 24, 2023 and masqueraded as a local site by using a colloquial expression in its domain name and carrying Singapore-related news. It carried many articles that appeared to be AI-generated, as well as articles attributed to Russia's ambassador to Singapore. was created a few days after the announcement that was being blocked. "The oldest article on was dated Mar 30, 2023, even though the website was created only on Oct 25, 2024, a dead giveaway of its inauthenticity," said the RSIS duo. On they found articles by Russia's ambassador to Singapore that appear identical to those found on such as a commentary on Russia-ASEAN cooperation. But they observed that while positioned itself as a Singapore-focused news and lifestyle site, appeared to have pivoted to a focus on Southeast Asia. CNA has asked MHA whether any action is being taken against Calling for vigilance, the RSIS researchers said the blocking of the 10 inauthentic sites last year appeared to have "stopped the people behind them from targeting Singapore directly".
Free Malaysia Today
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Address AI threats amid tensions in South China Sea, Asean told
The Asean Defence Ministers meeting, chaired by Malaysia in February this year, highlighted the risks of AI in military applications. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into military systems, analysts are urging Asean member states to take AI-related defence threats more seriously, particularly amid escalating regional tensions. Faizal Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), said tensions in the South China Sea, particularly between China and the Philippines, have already seen the deployment of AI-driven propaganda—a key element of the emerging cognitive warfare landscape. 'Cognitive warfare' refers to strategies aimed at influencing or disrupting human thought processes, decision-making and perceptions to achieve strategic objectives, including the fracturing of society without military intervention. Prompted by its importance as a strategic shipping lane and resource-rich zone, the South China Sea has been the subject of overlapping claims by China on the one part, and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan on the other. 'AI cognitive warfare would be a tactic that claimant countries need to prepare for,' Faizal told FMT. Meanwhile, several Asean nations are advancing AI-driven defence technologies. Indonesia, for example, is collaborating with Turkiye to develop drones, while Vietnam's military technology arm, Viettel, is integrating AI into radar and electronic warfare systems. 'These AI-enabled drones could complement Indonesia's defence posture near the Natuna islands. 'Such capabilities could be useful when deployed at islets in the South China Sea that Vietnam controls and has reclaimed,' said Faizal. The Asean Defence Ministers meeting, chaired by Malaysia in February this year, highlighted the risks of AI in military applications, including miscalculation, overdependence and the potential for unintended conflict escalation. The long game However, Faizal noted that while Asean nations may incorporate AI-related guidelines into their military modernisation efforts, it remains uncertain whether they would accept restrictions that could limit their strategic options in the South China Sea. He said rules and norms work better when there is a good level of trust between countries that are parties to a dispute. 'But the prolonged negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) suggest that there is more pessimism than optimism in resolving the South China Sea dispute,' he said. COC negotiations between Asean and China have dragged on for over two decades, stalled by disagreements over legal obligations, its geographic scope and enforcement. Universiti Malaya's Johan Saravanamuttu believes that Malaysia, as Asean chair, can use its special relationship with China to push the COC talks forward. Malaysia was the first Southeast Asian country to establish diplomatic ties with China in 1974, and currently serves as the Asean-China country coordinator. 'Malaysia has a much better relationship with China than the Philippines, which will take over as the next Asean chair,' Johan added. 'The Philippines has claims to the South China Sea, but it is in alliance with the US. That creates more complications due to US-China tensions.' He also urged Malaysia to revive the dormant Asean High Council for peaceful conflict resolution, and to consider reintroducing ideas from the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality — a declaration signed by Asean member states in 1971— including making Southeast Asia a nuclear-free region. Managing expectations Still, experts said that tackling issues related to the South China Sea, whether in terms of regulating AI military use or concluding the COC, will take time. Tang Siew Mun of the ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute said Asean remains a 'work-in-progress' and it would be 'unreasonable' to place so many expectations on a single chairmanship. This is especially the case given that Malaysia is facing stronger geopolitical and geoeconomic headwinds on top of higher expectations, he said, compared to its previous stint as bloc chair 10 years ago. Tang said despite its rockier relationship with Beijing, the Philippines' chairmanship of Asean next year was unlikely to derail the grouping's efforts in the South China Sea. 'Although much of the spotlight on the South China Sea disputes has been on the Philippines' standoff with China, it bears reminding that peace and stability in the South China Sea is a regional issue,' he told FMT. Faizal said that a one-year chairmanship term was too short for significant progress to be made on the use of AI in defence. 'To maintain the momentum, Malaysia may need to work with next year's chairperson to ensure continuity in the 'AI in defence' agenda,' he said. Malaysia will host the 46th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 26, under the theme 'Sustainability and Inclusivity'. The summit will tackle regional flashpoints, including the South China Sea, amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What to know about Manus, China's latest AI assistant
A powerful new AI tool Manus is making waves in China, fuelling hopes that it could replicate the success of DeepSeek, which earlier this year rattled the global tech industry with its state-of-the-art chatbot. Manus, an AI agent generally considered more advanced than a chatbot, can do everything from analysing the stock market to creating a personalised travel handbook for a trip with simple instructions from users, its website says. Here's what you need to know about Manus: - Rapid rise - Manus was released last week by Chinese startup Butterfly Effect. In a now viral introductory video posted online, co-founder Yichao "Peak" Ji hailed it as "the next paradigm of human-machine collaboration, and potentially a glimpse into AGI," referencing artificial general intelligence that aims to think the way humans do. Currently accessible only by invitation, Manus has quickly gained traction, with its official Discord server growing to more than 170,000 members. Its name comes from the Latin motto "Mens et Manus", meaning "mind and hand" -- a nod to its integration of knowledge and practical application. - Exclusive access - Manus is a "system that can carry out tasks autonomously on behalf of users", said Manoj Harjani, a research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). "DeepSeek and ChatGPT differ from Manus in that they provide responses to prompts from users through a chat-style interface, whereas Manus is able to execute tasks such as booking tickets and sorting through resumes," he explained. And while DeepSeek was quietly developed behind the scenes before rising to prominence, Manus is taking a different route -- limiting access to an invite-only beta and targeting enterprise-level clients, one analyst said. "While this exclusivity can generate buzz, it may also impede widespread adoption," said Marina Zhang, an associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney's Australia-China Relations Institute. She warned Manus may not cultivate the same broad appeal as DeepSeek, which built a large community through open-source engagement, if it continues to retain a closed ecosystem. When AFP tested Manus with an invitation code given by the company, the AI assistant took significantly longer than DeepSeek to generate responses. But it was able to complete more difficult tasks compared to its Chinese rival or ChatGPT, like creating custom websites. - Touchy topics - And while DeepSeek said it was "programmed" to provide answers that toe the government line on topics considered politically sensitive in China, Manus was able to give accurate, non-censored responses. On the topic of the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Manus responded by stating that "the Chinese government carried out a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing", followed by six more paragraphs detailing the incident. It also gave a comprehensive answer when asked about allegations of human rights abuses by Beijing in Xinjiang. Asked about its uncensored replies, the programme said it does not "intentionally censor factual information". "When discussing sensitive topics like historical events or human rights issues, I aim to provide balanced, objective information that helps users understand complex subjects," it added. This could likely be because Manus "is focused on tasks and the team didn't build content control as thoroughly as chatbots like DeepSeek and ChatGPT", said Li Jianggan, founder of Momentum Works, a Singapore-based consultancy focused on tech companies. - Next DeepSeek? - Whether Manus can achieve mainstream success like DeepSeek will depend on its ability to scale to meet demand, RSIS's Harjani told AFP. But Manus is unlikely to be the next DeepSeek as they are different types of AI applications, he added. Its ability to grow would rely on "adequate computing power and effective handling of potential challenges such as technical stability and ethical or regulatory considerations", Zhang told AFP. "If Manus can successfully address these issues... it could indeed be a major player in the enterprise automation space," she said. But it remains "far from perfect" and is likely not open to the wider public yet as the team may still want to make improvements to the programme, Li said. "It is dealing with real world problems and executing real world tasks, which are diverse and complex," he told AFP. Its success remains a "big question mark". isk/oho/cms/mtp
CNN
06-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: China's warships are turning up in unexpected places and alarming US allies. Is this the new normal?
Chinese warships have been circumnavigating Australia's coastline for more than three weeks, passing within 200 miles of Sydney, and staging unprecedented live-fire drills on its doorstep with New Zealand. The exercises, which came without formal notice, have deep caused consternation in both nations. Suddenly, the specter of China's military power was suddenly no longer confined to the distant waters of the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait – where China's territorial aggression has escalated under leader Xi Jinping – but a stark reality unfolding much closer to home. At the same time, Chinese warships have been sighted near Vietnam and Taiwan, part of a show of Chinese naval strength in the Pacific region that regularly rattles US allies. China was unapologetic and insisted it complied with international law, with state media suggesting Western countries should get used to Chinese warships in nearby waters. In the past, Washington's partners have found comfort in their firm ties with the US, but that was before Donald Trump's explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the US leader's subsequent order to halt aid to Ukraine as it battles Russia's invasion. The bust-up in the Oval Office served to sharpen anxieties in capitals across the Pacific: If the US is willing to turn its back on Ukraine – effectively rewarding Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression in Europe – would it do the same in Asia when faced with a belligerent Beijing? Trump's embrace of Russia and his cold shoulder to Europe – driven by a transactional approach that Singapore's defense minister likened to a 'landlord seeking rent' – has heightened trepidation in the Indo-Pacific region, where many nations look to the US to keep Chinese aggression in check. 'It does raise issues as to whether the US will be committed to regional security. And even if the US remains committed, what will the Trump administration ask in return?' said Collin Koh, research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore. Experts say it's a fair question from allies who've long relied on the US to provide security assurances, enabling them to limit their own defense spending. Now might be the time, they add, for American partners, like Australia and New Zealand, to reexamine budgets and tighten regional alliances with other countries that could find themselves exposed as Trump pursues his 'America first' mantra. Australia has made sure the world is aware of China's movements in international waters in the South Pacific, issuing daily location updates from trailing Australian Navy ships and spy planes. Defense Minister Richard Marles said the data would be analyzed to determine exactly what China was doing – and what message it was intending to send. China's ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, maintained that China posed no threat to Australia while signaling that more warship visits should be expected. 'As a major power in this region…it is normal for China to send their vessels to different parts of the region to conduct various kinds of activities,' Xiao told Australia's public broadcaster the ABC. Across the Pacific in Washington, Trump was sending his own message to US partners in Europe that they needed to step up military spending in defense of Ukraine. Before his fractious meeting with Zelensky, Trump had intended to sign mineral resources deal with the Ukrainian leader so that the US could recoup some of the cost of its aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion. But the signing ceremony was abandoned, with Trump telling Zelensky on his social platform Truth Social to 'come back when he is ready for Peace.' By subsequently cutting off military aid to Ukraine, Trump was seeking to force rich European nations to shoulder more of the load, say experts. 'He believes they have all been free riding off the United States for half a century,' said Peter Dean, the director of foreign policy and defense at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. The move seemed to reap rewards when on Tuesday the European Union unveiled a plan to allow member states to borrow €150 billion ($158 billion) to boost their defense spending and 'massively step up' their military support for Kyiv. Dean says Trump wants a deal for peace in Ukraine; however, he's ignoring Zelensky's concerns about the longevity of that peace without measures to keep Putin in check. 'It seems to be that (Trump) almost wants peace at any price, rather than a peace that is fair and equitable, or a peace that you keep,' he said. 'The question is, what does the deal look like? And that's what everyone's worried about. How much is he willing to trade away?' As Trump upends the transatlantic alliance – a pillar of Western security for decades – his administration has signaled that the US should wrap up conflicts elsewhere to focus on deterring China in the Pacific. The urgency of that aim was highlighted by China's latest flexing of its military muscle. 'It's a test of resolve, for sure,' said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at RSIS in Singapore, of China's military drills. 'China (is) carving out a sphere of influence in the Pacific to test to see if countries in the region are going to resist it.' Even before Trump's clash with Zelensky, the presence of Chinese warships on its southern coast had turned Australia's attention to AUKUS, its multibillion-dollar security deal with the US and the United Kingdom. Concerns had flared about whether the deal could withstand the whims of Trump's White House when a British reporter asked the US president if he and his UK counterpart had spoken about AUKUS. 'What does that mean?' Trump replied. The incident was later brushed off by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as an issue of accents. 'I think we're going to have to limit the questions to Americans he can understand,' he said. Dean, from the University of Sydney, said it's no bad thing that Trump wasn't across the acronym because the deal already has the fulsome support of his closest advisers. That support was cemented by Australia's first down payment of $500 million to bolster America's submarine production, with the agreement that some nuclear-powered subs will be sold to Australia to boost its military capability in the Indo-Pacific. It's the kind of deal Trump will want to focus on in the future, Dean said. 'He's looking to make money for the United States, and he's looking to do better deals. And AUKUS is a bit of an exemplar deal for them,' Dean said. 'For the Europeans, I wouldn't underestimate Donald Trump looking at this and going, if the Australians can do this, why can't you?' Elsewhere across the Pacific, US allies appeared unsettled by the extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba struck a cautious tone on Monday, insisting he had 'no intention of taking sides' when asked about the Trump-Zelensky clash. Yet, he vowed to do his utmost to 'maintain US involvement and promote unity' among the Group of Seven nations – hinting at growing disquiet over the fracturing of the Western alliance. 'Today's Ukraine could be tomorrow's East Asia,' he added. 'We must also consider steadily increasing our deterrent power to prevent war.' Japan, which has territorial disputes with China in the East China Sea, has raised concern about increasing Chinese military maneuvers in its nearby waters. Last year, a Chinese aircraft carrier entered Japan's contiguous waters for the first time. South Korea, another US ally in East Asia, declined to comment on the meeting between Trump and Zelensky but said it was closely monitoring US suspension of military aid to Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly called on allies like South Korea to pay more for US troops stationed on their territory. In a speech to Congress on Wednesday, he once again made a veiled threat while referencing what he called unfair tariffs South Korea places on US goods – something Seoul denies. 'We give so much help military and in so many other ways to South Korea. But that's what happened, this is happening by friend and foe,' Trump said. In Taiwan, the self-governing democracy China has vowed to one day absorb, Defense Minister Wellington Koo tried to reassure confidence despite what he described as 'rapid and bizarre changes' in the international landscape. 'I think the United States won't retreat from the Indo-Pacific region, because this is its core interests,' he told reporters in a briefing Tuesday, citing shared interests with Washington in economic development, geopolitics and US military security. But Koo also nodded to Trump's 'America first' stance. 'In international politics, we also deeply realize that we can't just talk about values and not talk about interests. Of course, the United States must value its own national interests,' he added. Experts say the US has become frustrated at having to shoulder the weight of other countries who fail to contribute to their own defense. 'The Trump administration has made clear its lack of tolerance. It's had no tolerance for free riders,' said Thompson, from RSIS in Singapore. 'I think the countries that get that message clearest and fastest are the ones that are going to be the good partners of the United States, because it's not like the US is abandoning allies. What the US is doing is prioritizing its most capable ones,' Thompson said. CNN's Wayne Chang, Yoonjung Seo and Yumi Asada contributed reporting.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China's warships are turning up in unexpected places and alarming US allies. Is this the new normal?
Chinese warships have been circumnavigating Australia's coastline for more than three weeks, passing within 200 miles of Sydney, and staging unprecedented live-fire drills on its doorstep with New Zealand. The exercises, which came without formal notice, has deep caused consternation in both nations. Suddenly, the specter of China's military power was suddenly no longer confined to the distant waters of the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait – where China's territorial aggression has escalated under leader Xi Jinping – but a stark reality unfolding much closer to home. At the same time, Chinese warships have been sighted near Vietnam and Taiwan, part of a show of Chinese naval strength in the Pacific region that regularly rattles US allies. China was unapologetic and insisted it complied with international law, with state media suggesting Western countries should get used to Chinese warships in nearby waters. In the past, Washington's partners have found comfort in their firm ties with the US, but that was before Donald Trump's explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the US leader's subsequent order to halt aid to Ukraine as it battles Russia's invasion. The bust-up in the Oval Office served to sharpen anxieties in capitals across the Pacific: If the US is willing to turn its back on Ukraine – effectively rewarding Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression in Europe – would it do the same in Asia when faced with a belligerent Beijing? Trump's embrace of Russia and his cold shoulder to Europe – driven by a transactional approach that Singapore's defense minister likened to a 'landlord seeking rent' – has heightened trepidation in the Indo-Pacific region, where many nations look to the US to keep Chinese aggression in check. 'It does raise issues as to whether the US will be committed to regional security. And even if the US remains committed, what will the Trump administration ask in return?' said Collin Koh, research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore. Experts say it's a fair question from allies who've long relied on the US to provide security assurances, enabling them to limit their own defense spending. Now might be the time, they add, for American partners, like Australia and New Zealand, to reexamine budgets and tighten regional alliances with other countries that could find themselves exposed as Trump pursues his 'America first' mantra. Australia has made sure the world is aware of China's movements in international waters in the South Pacific, issuing daily location updates from trailing Australian Navy ships and spy planes. Defense Minister Richard Marles said the data would be analyzed to determine exactly what China was doing – and what message it was intending to send. China's ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, maintained that China posed no threat to Australia while signaling that more warship visits should be expected. 'As a major power in this region…it is normal for China to send their vessels to different parts of the region to conduct various kinds of activities,' Xiao told Australia's public broadcaster the ABC. Across the Pacific in Washington, Trump was sending his own message to US partners in Europe that they needed to step up military spending in defense of Ukraine. Before his fractious meeting with Zelensky, Trump had intended to sign mineral resources deal with the Ukrainian leader so that the US could recoup some of the cost of its aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion. But the signing ceremony was abandoned, with Trump telling Zelensky on his social platform Truth Social to 'come back when he is ready for Peace.' By subsequently cutting off military aid to Ukraine, Trump was seeking to force rich European nations to shoulder more of the load, say experts. 'He believes they have all been free riding off the United States for half a century,' said Peter Dean, the director of foreign policy and defense at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. The move seemed to reap rewards when on Tuesday the European Union unveiled a plan to allow member states to borrow €150 billion ($158 billion) to boost their defense spending and 'massively step up' their military support for Kyiv. Dean says Trump wants a deal for peace in Ukraine; however, he's ignoring Zelensky's concerns about the longevity of that peace without measures to keep Putin in check. 'It seems to be that (Trump) almost wants peace at any price, rather than a peace that is fair and equitable, or a peace that you keep,' he said. 'The question is, what does the deal look like? And that's what everyone's worried about. How much is he willing to trade away?' As Trump upends the transatlantic alliance – a pillar of Western security for decades – his administration has signaled that the US should wrap up conflicts elsewhere to focus on deterring China in the Pacific. The urgency of that aim was highlighted by China's latest flexing of its military muscle. 'It's a test of resolve, for sure,' said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at RSIS in Singapore, of China's military drills. 'China (is) carving out a sphere of influence in the Pacific to test to see if countries in the region are going to resist it.' Even before Trump's clash with Zelensky, the presence of Chinese warships on its southern coast had turned Australia's attention to AUKUS, its multibillion-dollar security deal with the US and the United Kingdom. Concerns had flared about whether the deal could withstand the whims of Trump's White House when a British reporter asked the US president if he and his UK counterpart had spoken about AUKUS. 'What does that mean?' Trump replied. The incident was later brushed off by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as an issue of accents. 'I think we're going to have to limit the questions to Americans he can understand,' he said. Dean, from the University of Sydney, said it's no bad thing that Trump wasn't across the acronym because the deal already has the fulsome support of his closest advisers. That support was cemented by Australia's first down payment of $500 million to bolster America's submarine production, with the agreement that some nuclear-powered subs will be sold to Australia to boost its military capability in the Indo-Pacific. It's the kind of deal Trump will want to focus on in the future, Dean said. 'He's looking to make money for the United States, and he's looking to do better deals. And AUKUS is a bit of an exemplar deal for them,' Dean said. 'For the Europeans, I wouldn't underestimate Donald Trump looking at this and going, if the Australians can do this, why can't you?' Elsewhere across the Pacific, US allies appeared unsettled by the extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba struck a cautious tone on Monday, insisting he had 'no intention of taking sides' when asked about the Trump-Zelensky clash. Yet, he vowed to do his utmost to 'maintain US involvement and promote unity' among the Group of Seven nations – hinting at growing disquiet over the fracturing of the Western alliance. 'Today's Ukraine could be tomorrow's East Asia,' he added. 'We must also consider steadily increasing our deterrent power to prevent war.' Japan, which has territorial disputes with China in the East China Sea, has raised concern about increasing Chinese military maneuvers in its nearby waters. Last year, a Chinese aircraft carrier entered Japan's contiguous waters for the first time. South Korea, another US ally in East Asia, declined to comment on the meeting between Trump and Zelensky but said it was closely monitoring US suspension of military aid to Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly called on allies like South Korea to pay more for US troops stationed on their territory. In a speech to Congress on Wednesday, he once again made a veiled threat while referencing what he called unfair tariffs South Korea places on US goods – something Seoul denies. 'We give so much help military and in so many other ways to South Korea. But that's what happened, this is happening by friend and foe,' Trump said. In Taiwan, the self-governing democracy China has vowed to one day absorb, Defense Minister Wellington Koo tried to reassure confidence despite what he described as 'rapid and bizarre changes' in the international landscape. 'I think the United States won't retreat from the Indo-Pacific region, because this is its core interests,' he told reporters in a briefing Tuesday, citing shared interests with Washington in economic development, geopolitics and US military security. But Koo also nodded to Trump's 'America first' stance. 'In international politics, we also deeply realize that we can't just talk about values and not talk about interests. Of course, the United States must value its own national interests,' he added. Experts say the US has become frustrated at having to shoulder the weight of other countries who fail to contribute to their own defense. 'The Trump administration has made clear its lack of tolerance. It's had no tolerance for free riders,' said Thompson, from RSIS in Singapore. 'I think the countries that get that message clearest and fastest are the ones that are going to be the good partners of the United States, because it's not like the US is abandoning allies. What the US is doing is prioritizing its most capable ones,' Thompson said. CNN's Wayne Chang, Yoonjung Seo and Yumi Asada contributed reporting.
