While many in the international community continue to question the United States’ commitment to its Asian allies, Benjamin Friedman analyzes the current state of the U.S. Department of Defense and lays out five reasons why the U.S. will continue to dominate the Asia-Pacific region.

Zhang Zhixin lays out three reasons why the Obama administration’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific and attempts to contain China, especially through the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, are a move in the wrong direction and will only hurt bilateral ties.

To remain relevant, Asia’s institutions must change in line with a changing Asia.

Li Shaoxian writes that three decades after the inaugural Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the forum now has 24 member states with 13 observers and serves as Asia’s voice on major regional and international issues.

The United States does not command sufficient resources to execute a rebalancing strategy focused on the containment of China. Its ambitions are far beyond its capabilities, writes Jin Liangxiang.

In order for the United States to continue to play a role in the Asia-Pacific, it must listen to the desires and grievances of other Asian. This can be done by becoming an active listener at the upcoming CICA Summit and adjusting US policies according to the desires of Asian nations.

The unfavorable Chinese media coverage of President Barack Obama’s recent Asian trip reflects the mistaken impression that the president’s tour was designed to rally regional partners against Beijing, writes Richard Weitz.

Wang Yusheng writes that China is not a “negative energy,” and the US should no longer continue to use regional allies to contain China. Instead, the United States should realize China’s growing power and cooperatively engage the country to bring regional stability to the Asia-Pacific.

Zhang Tousheng explores the reasons for the rapid development and modernization of China’s military, as well as emphasizing that this modernization has been beneficial for the region, and can continue to be if regional and international cooperation is formed between the United States and other regional adversaries.

China and the US are big countries in the Asia-Pacific. China appreciates a constructive US presence in the region. But it will also be unequivocally opposed to the US endangering Chinese national interests while developing ties with other Asia-Pacific nations, writes Fu Mengzi.