U.S.-CHINA RIVALRY SHAPES ASIA-PACIFIC

The dominant Asia-Pacific story is intensifying U.S.-China rivalry, which is driving regional geopolitics, trade policy, and security planning. Competition is centered on maritime routes, strategic chokepoints, technology controls, and influence over key flashpoints such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. Economic interdependence among major regional economies is still restraining outright conflict, but it also leaves supply chains vulnerable to disruption. The result is a region increasingly defined by strategic competition even as governments try to preserve trade and stability.