Asian AngleHow Southeast Asia can help bolster regional security amid growing US-China rivalry

As the Middle East teeters on the brink of a full-scale regional conflict and the war in Ukraine rages on, Asia is also witnessing increased militarisation and heightened risks of unintended conflict.

This is driven by the intensifying strategic contestation between the United States and China, which will underpin geopolitical realities for years to come. With bipartisan consensus that it is China – not Russia, Iran or any other country – that poses the most salient strategic threat to the US, Asia’s leaders must expect that the US will continue to focus its resources on containing China and corral like-minded countries to manage the challenge.

In a demonstration of its deterrence capabilities, China on September 25 carried out a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean – the first such test in 44 years. China has also been stepping up its military drills in the South China Sea, including with Russia. Some of these exercises appear to be a response to drills undertaken by the US and its allies and partners in the region. China’s most recent exercise, carried out between September 30 and October 1, coincided with a five-nation drill involving the US, the Philippines, Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

The US, for its part, has kept up its schedule of multilateral and bilateral exercises. On October 7, it commenced yet another joint naval exercise with the navies of the Philippines, Australia, Canada, France, Japan and Britain. Dubbed Exercise Sama Sama, the two-week drills were being carried out off the coast of Luzon, facing Taiwan, and involved anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-air warfare operations. These drills were the eighth iteration in the series, which started initially as a bilateral exercise between the US and the Philippines.