US-CHINA RIVALRY SHAPES ASIA-PACIFIC

US-China competition remains the dominant force shaping Asia-Pacific geopolitics, trade, and regional security. The rivalry is most visible around maritime chokepoints, the South China Sea, Taiwan, and critical sea lanes that support trade and energy flows. Economic interdependence among China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan still tempers the risk of open conflict, even as militarization and strategic positioning continue. Regional security cooperation is also deepening, especially through alliance ties and maritime and supply-chain resilience efforts designed to deter coercion.