On his trip to Asia, U.S. President Donald Trump surprised many observers by staying on script for the better part of two weeks. But beyond the gaffes – some comical, some dangerous – what was most concerning about the trip was not the undiplomatic outbursts, but rather the consistent policy he outlined that emulates China's hegemonic approach. As China's power has grown, it has adopted a "might makes right" approach to foreign policy, bullying neighbors to extract concessions. Donald Trump's Asia policy is for America to act like China.

To China, others are tributary states that should naturally submit to Beijing. In line with that attitude, in Japan and South Korea Trump reaffirmed his view of alliances as purely transactional protection rackets that should take orders from Washington. Beyond the smiles and talking points in Tokyo and Seoul, when Trump broke free of his script, his true colors came out: He criticized allies over trade, chided them to buy more U.S. military equipment and claimed that a U.S. base in South Korea was built "to protect South Korea, not the United States."

And for all the talk of positive visits to Japan and South Korea, the very fact that allies bent over backwards to prevent Trump from going off the rails revealed the extent of the anxiety in Tokyo and Seoul, rather than the warmth of true allies. When the Japanese prime minister makes hats embroidered with "Donald and Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater," all is not well. Like a parent trying to cheer up a volatile toddler, giving a gift can put a child in a good mood – at least for a while – but the parent isn't really happy to have to do that.

With the U.S., China seeks a global partnership – a U.S.-China G2 (Group of 2) – in which the U.S. leaves China alone in its claimed sphere of influence, Asia. In Beijing, Trump seemed on board with this arrangement. The way Trump engaged Xi Jinping – repeated praise, lack of criticism – made U.S. allies and partners wonder if behind closed doors Trump is selling them out on the regular Chinese asks of U.S. presidents, from defending Japan in the East China Sea dispute to withdrawing THAAD from South Korea to pulling the rug out from under Taiwan. And they are right to worry.

In dealing with the countries of Asia, China picks countries off one by one – whether on trade or maritime disputes – using its heft to get what it wants from smaller neighbors. In Vietnam Trump echoed this approach, making clear that he is only interested in short-term economic deals. While Trump refrained from tough talk on trade in China – where the U.S. has genuine problems to address – his speech to the APEC CEO forum was akin to a school teacher scolding students, telling a room full of U.S. partners and allies that "We can no longer tolerate these chronic trade abuses. ... We are not going to let the United States be taken advantage of anymore."

After withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, Trump's new vision for U.S. economic engagement resembled China's "my way or the highway" approach, but without the appealing carrots of giant loans. Trump's message: The U.S. economy is big and yours is small, and the U.S. will now bully partners into bilateral trade arrangements rather than working with the region to build higher standards that benefit everyone.

On human rights, it goes without saying that Beijing cares little, whether at home or abroad. Trump likewise ignores human rights and democracy, at home or abroad, a fact made clear on this Asia trip. In China, Trump and President Xi Jinping did not take questions during a press conference. And while Southeast Asia is in the midst of a disastrous erosion of democracy and human rights – from a government-sponsored ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population in Myanmar to the deadly campaign against drugs in the Philippines – Trump is emboldening the worst instincts of the region, welcoming Thailand's dictator to the Oval Office earlier in 2017 and warmly laughing with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila as he called reporters "spies."

Furthermore, this approach yielded no results for America – no breakthroughs on North Korea, trade or any other major challenge.

The takeaway is that, under Trump, the U.S. will not play the traditional role as a bulwark of regional peace and prosperity in Asia. The U.S. will approach everything as a transaction: Allies and partners will be treated well if they buy U.S. military equipment and re-negotiate trade deals on U.S. terms; competitors will also be treated well as long as the relationship can show economic benefits; and in dealing with threats like North Korea, only the interests of the U.S. will matter, not those of allies on the front lines.

With fears of China growing, and concerns of America acting more like a ruthless landlord, countries in Asia are hedging against both, as this week's progress on a TPP-11 (all countries except the U.S.) trade agreement made clear.