US-CHINA RIVALRY DOMINATES ASIA-PACIFIC

The most important Asia & Oceania story is the intensifying US-China rivalry, which continues to shape regional geopolitics, trade, and security across the Asia-Pacific. Competition over maritime routes, advanced technology, and strategic chokepoints is heightening risks around Taiwan, the South China Sea, and key shipping lanes. At the same time, economic interdependence among major regional economies is helping limit the chance of open conflict, even as trade tensions and protectionism grow. The broader result is a region pulled between security alignment with Washington and economic exposure to Beijing.