The steady erosion of U.S. politico-economic primacy in the Asia-Pacific region continues unabated. It has two sources: The first is China's growing wealth and power. The second is America's continuing distraction by wars as well as President Donald Trump's desire to disrupt Washington's existing alliances and his refusal to address pressing socio-economic issues at home.
Simply put, where the U.S. acts, at best, in a very distracted manner, China is focused.
While U.S. credibility in Asia is steadily diminishing, there continues to be an irrational belief in Washington that increased U.S. defense spending will alter or reverse this trend.