US-CHINA RIVALRY DOMINATES ASIA-PACIFIC

The most important Asia-Pacific story is the sharpening U.S.-China rivalry, which is driving regional geopolitics, security priorities, and economic policy across the Indo-Pacific. Competition is intensifying over maritime routes, strategic chokepoints, Taiwan, and the South China Sea, where militarization and territorial disputes remain central risks. At the same time, trade and economic security are becoming more tightly linked, with Asian states balancing supply-chain resilience, tariff pressure, and technology controls. Regional cooperation is also deepening among allies and partners, but it is increasingly shaped by efforts to deter coercion rather than replace great-power competition.