Over the past four years, as relations between the United States and China have chilled and bilateral tensions have risen over issues ranging from control of advanced semiconductors to Beijing’s support for Moscow, Southeast Asian states have played a delicate game. With the exception of the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who essentially has taken sides with the United States despite any blowback from China, other major Southeast Asian countries have attempted to maintain their traditional approach of hedging between the great powers.
So, while Vietnam signed a deal with the…
