The negative consequences of U.S. involvement with Mekong countries are real but limited. The U.S. has the potential to continue to fuel tension over issues such as water resources in the region.

ASEAN realizes that geopolitical and geostrategic shifts taking place in the region will usher in both rewards and risks. But while being opportunistic, ASEAN knows the stakes are high should unbridled rivalry play out.

President Trump’s attendance at the recently concluded ASEAN Related Summits held in Manila suggests continued U.S. interest in a region touted as among the key engines of global economic growth and development. This is crucial as ASEAN celebrates its golden anniversary amidst fast changing regional dynamics.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang underscored the importance of free and open access to South China Sea, in a joint statement

President Trump’s preoccupation with domestic issues and torpor in filling key foreign policy positions has left America without a coherent Asia-Pacific strategy.

As the supposed engine of regional integration, and bedrock of East Asian security architecture, the ASEAN has sought, with limited success, to mediate maritime disputes and avoid conflict in the region. But beyond concerns over the gradual loss of so-called ‘ASEAN centrality,’ Southeast Asian countries are also worried about sudden and destructive escalation in Sino-American tensions in the area, especially if the Trump administration makes a step too far in order to project toughness.

Divergence and competition between the two major players has intensified as both economies and their business communities want to seize the initiative in developing a more profound and mutually beneficial economic relationship with ASEAN. But there is still room for win-win-win results in this tri-cornered interaction.

With its thriving economy, accelerating integration and evolving challenges to the security environment, ASEAN is destined to become an increasingly important region of the world. Its population is bigger than the combined population of the U.S. and Japan, and it represents a major frontier market.

For Southeast and East Asia to have a favorable architecture, wherein all nations could aspire to common development and prosperity, it is necessary for both the U.S. and China to work closely with each other and with ASEAN.

ASEAN should not be divided by TPP, and two competing economic blocs should be avoided. China and the US must understand ASEAN’s hopes and fears of the two giants, and pursue trilateral cooperation with ASEAN in various fields, especially non-sensitive issues such as clean energy, illegal fishing, HADR, human and drug trafficking, and disease prevention.