US strike on Syria raises tensions over North Korea

Trump’s missile attack on the Syrian airbase near Homs on Friday was met with fears that the US might now raise tensions over North Korea.

Singapore’s Strait Times reports that the event marks the return of strong foreign policy to the US, where Trump had campaigned to avoid embroiling the country in overseas conflicts.

The Economic Times of India features that the US action might trigger wider conflict involving Russia, and that the attack sends a signal to China against conflict in the South China Sea.

The South China Morning Post leads of fears of escalating tensions in the South China Sea where the USS Carl Vinson headed Sunday for what is expected to be another American show of force off the Korean peninsula.

The Korea Times headlines with a potential pre-emptive US strike on Pyongyang with targets likely to be nuclear facilities, fissile materials and strategic missile bases.

Meanwhile, The China Daily Europe reports that Trump and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping were locked in seven hours of deep discussion over the weekend, on how the two countries can cooperate on economic and security issues.

Commentators observe that Xi Jinping will have noted that the missile strike on Syria signals Trump’s potential to take unilateral action on North Korea if necessary.