Gee Octavious, an egotistical, pompous, boorish Westerner ( but wealthy & politically powerful ) visits Asia, makes crass, patronising jokes that only he thinks are amusing....and the locals... Do they confront him & slap him down a peg or two ? .....
Or do they smile politely, assure him that he is a "most honoured guest" etc massage his overblown ego etc, focus on their interests during negotiations, get the business done as expeditiously as possible and enthusiastically farewell him at the airport ????
Which response from Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese fits best "culturally" Octavious ???
Blunt truth and controversy, or an urbane "maintaining of face", smooth dissembling and polite manipulation & enthusiastic farewell ?
I'll bet the Vietnamese were quietly reassuring themselves with an internal " we won the war GI Joe" line while they smiled and shook hands through to waving goodbye.
I'll bet those least able to control outward displays of true emotional response to Trump's blundering displays were the professional US diplomats from the State Dept