The two allies will feel the urge to escalate their positions on Taiwan as a way of testing each other’s loyalty. But intervention in the Taiwan Strait will leave the island in a state of strategic stagnation and will cause unnecessary regional turmoil.

The South China Sea has been the backdrop for so many international conflicts that few remember the Declaration of Conduct which governs activity in the testy waters. Now, 25 years later under new circumstances, a new agreement may be able to help lighten tensions in the Sea - if it can get passed.

Is the U.S. ready to meaningfully engage with the Asia-Pacific region? Their latest offering comes in the form of the IPEF, and the differences between the U.S.-led trade pact and competing ones led by Asian powers will show whether American leadership has brought enough to the table.

With the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine crisis looming in the background, America’s midterm elections will be a test of voters’ mood. Donald Trump’s sway over the Republican Party will be reinforced or repudiated. But economic factors may be the decisive factor.

U.S. President Joe Biden often talks about leading the world. But if sanctions are what he meant, and if abusing the national security exception against WTO members is the means, the global economic system would be better off without America.

With America distracted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the ICBM on the Korean Peninsula is not getting much attention. But the problem won’t go away without judicious action on both sides.

America finally issued a broad statement on its Indo-Pacific strategy, predictably addressing concerns about China’s influence and spelling out its intention to play into its allies' favor. Meanwhile, ASEAN must respond to the latest development to retain their own autonomy and stability in what many are sure to see as rising tensions.

There is no need for China to overreact to the latest strategy report, but it needs to be prepared for pressure from the United States, which will likely focus on the Indo-Pacific region for decades to come.

The Philippines is gearing up for a hotly contested presidential election, and the relationship with China across trade and security must be addressed by each candidate.

The upcoming Winter Olympics may have been an opportunity for the U.S. to make a friendly entrance to China - instead, the official boycott by White House representatives has made it the latest of barbed exchanges between the two powerful nations.