Although the US is firmly established in the region, many Pacific countries are concerned about US stability and consistency in policy. China’s recent confident actions have allowed for relations with ASEAN to grow and may have begun to act to supplant the US role. But do the two powers need to be competing or can they work in tandem?

In the wake of President Xi and Premier Li’s visits to Southeast Asia, China not only underscored its diplomatic commitment to the region but also elevated its partnerships with neighboring countries to more strategic ones. Zhai Kun examines in which ways the new Chinese leadership “upgraded” the China-ASEAN relations.

In the face of a widespread deterioration in China-Japan relations, Feng Zhaokui conceives of five tangible moves to improve the bilateral relationship.

President Barack Obama and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands before their bilateral meeting at the G-20 Summit on Friday, Sept. 6, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Cai Penghong reviews the achievements attained at the 2013 APEC Summit in Bali, and the 8th East Asia Summit and concludes that, despite President Obama’s absence, a number of noteworthy developments and deals have been put into place.

The joint statement signed at Tokyo Security Consultative Committee meeting earlier this month has not only influenced the dynamics of US-Japan relations but also functioned as a warning on recent provocations by China. Yang Wenjing articulates on the significances of the statement for the U.S., Japan and China.

Many people in my country have a misperception about the state of U.S./China relations over the last 75 years. They assume it shared much with the Cold War that characterized the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during much of the last half of the 20th century. But China and the United States never faced each other as Cold War adversaries in the past and there is no reason that they should do so in the future, writes Stephen Hadley.

In spite of the progress made at this week’s APEC and ASEAN meetings in Bali and Brunei respectively, there are still concerns that President Obama’s absence reduced U.S. influence in the region. Stephen Harner examines these developments and the potential for a “win-win” relationship between the US and China.

The US should help NATO countries work together with countries in the East for the benefit of world peace, writes Wu Zurong. Whether to sow discord and create new divisions between the East and the West, or to increase mutual understanding and cooperation between them is a serious test.

While US efforts to enhance stability in the Asia-Pacific region are welcome, they are inadequate to offset the rising strategic and economic uncertainty facing ASEAN member countries. Fortunately, ASEAN leaders seem to recognize this, and are working to establish a full-fledged diplomatic and economic “community” by 2015.