US vs China in South-East Asia

In this image taken from handout video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese Coast Guard ship with bow number 5205 (right) collides with Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua near the Sabina Shoal at the disputed South China Sea in August. —Filepic/Philippine Coast Guard/AP

WHO’S more valuable to South-East Asia: its immediate neighbour China, or the other superpower across the Pacific, the United States?

There’s an undeniable rivalry between the two in their multifaceted relations with the region, and for good reason.