The US and South Korea are set to strike a deal to cooperate on AI and quantum computing, even as contentious trade issues linger.
The pact is aimed at securing an edge over China in the race for tech superiority, Bloomberg noted. Officials, though, are less confident that a trade agreement discussed in July will be finalized, as the countries remain deadlocked over the details of Seoul’s $350 billion investment pledge. Analysts raised similar concerns after Trump’s meeting with Japan’s new prime minister, which scored high on chemistry, but low on concrete trade breakthroughs.
Trump’s Asia tour so far underscores the challenges he faces in “turning a series of eye-popping foreign investment pledges into reality,” Politico wrote.