Empty seats, open doors: How Trump’s ambassador recall hands China new space in the Pacific

Empty seats, open doors: How Trump’s ambassador recall hands China new space in the Pacific

When the Trump administration announced it was recalling nearly 30 U.S. ambassadors in late December, the explanation was straightforward enough. Presidents appoint ambassadors. Presidents can recall them. That’s the system. But this shake-up is happening at a moment when China has quietly overtaken the United States in the number of diplomatic missions worldwide, and when Beijing is continuing to steadily extend its reach into the Pacific. Empt…