In an “age of uncertainty” — the theme of this year’s Asia-Pacific Roundtable (APR), the annual gathering of regional experts that convened last week in Kuala Lumpur — the single certainty is great power competition between the United States and China.
That rivalry colors virtually every element of regional relationships. Southeast Asian governments are eager, if not desperate, to escape the deepening regional divide and a seeming imperative to “take sides” between Washington and Beijing.
This framing reflects a concerted effort by China to promote this narrative, as well as a failure on the part of the U.S. to offer a compelling alternative. While Japan is presented by Beijing as a U.S. accomplice in this vision, there is room for Tokyo to present itself as a third option. That requires vision, energy and a departure from Japan’s current foreign policy and strategy.