Asean and Korea in a spot over mounting US-China rivalry: Korea Herald contributor

The writer says that Asean is looking to US-led initiatives, including the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), to check and balance the challenges posed by China's growing power projection capabilities. - AFP

SEOUL (The Korea Herald/ANN): The bitter war of words at the US-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Alaska last March portended the rough waves of the new Cold War between the US and China with profound implications for this region and the world.

Geopolitically, Asean and Korea lie on the frontlines of US-China competition. Southeast Asia is particularly important to China because the region is a crucial gateway for China to access major sea routes to the rest of Asia and the world.