The US is pulling back from defending Asian allies, a major blow to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea and a big win for China.

• The US paused a $14 billion weapons sale to Taiwan, saying it needs to save missiles for the Iran war.
• Japan was told its ordered Tomahawk missiles will arrive two years late because US stockpiles got drained defending Israel.
• The US used many of its own expensive interceptors to protect Israel from Iranian missiles, leaving less for Asia.
• Trump's friendly meeting with Xi pushed the US to drop the Taiwan sale to keep China happy, since the US now needs China's help on oil and supply chains.
• Japan and South Korea, two countries that usually do not get along, are now teaming up because they no longer trust US security guarantees.

Outlook: The US is losing its grip on Asia, and a future crisis over Taiwan or North Korea could expose just how much power America has lost.