This is unbelievably dangerous. It's incredibly hard to see how this increases the US' influence in Asia, either. Most Asians don't want a confrontational relationship between the US and China and if the US is seen as destabilizing the region, that will not buy it any friends. It is more likely to alienate its regional allies. Many people seem to be focusing on this as a story about how Trump is open to a lobbyist like Dole and how little change that represents. But that is a side-show. The impact this could have on relations with China is much more significant, given this invites Chinese retaliation.