In a US-China war, whose side is South-East Asia on? Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia ponder the unthinkable

In this Sept 3, 2015, file photo, Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles, potentially capable of sinking a US Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in a single strike, pass by Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing. China’s military test-fired two missiles into the South China Sea, including a “carrier killer” military analysts suggest might have been developed to attack US forces, a newspaper reported on Aug. 27, 2020. - AP

HONG KONG, Sept 19 (SCMP): Across South-East Asia, scenario planning exercises by analysts and policymakers preparing for the unthinkable – a military clash between the world’s two largest economies in their backyard – has taken on added significance in recent weeks.

Tensions between the US and China, already fraught over trade, technology and the South China Sea, deepened as Beijing protested against Washington’s ties to Taipei and conducted military activities close to the self-ruled island last week.