Asian allies begin to doubt whether the United States is willing, or capable of defending them in a war.
On August 15th, local time, while U.S. President Trump was focusing on dealing with the conflict in Iran, The New York Times published another report, hyping up the idea of 'China seeking expansion in Asia'. It spread a sense of 'anxiety', claiming that given the huge effort and resources spent by the United States and Israel in dealing with Iran, Asian countries are growing increasingly doubtful about what actions the U.S. might take to contain China.
Reports say that, in addition to the military aspect, some allies and partner countries have also realized that the United States could become a commercial rival for them as well.
Especially after Trump began to seek a cooling of relations with China, as a result of China's strong countermeasures against the use of 'tariff sticks', some Asian countries have felt disheartened. It is important to note that China remains the largest trading partner for many countries, and since the United States has not made any efforts to provide economic alternatives, some countries find themselves in difficult situations. The Philippines is one such country.
April 16, 2026, in Nueva Ecija Province, Philippines. The US-Filipino “Shield” military exercise was held at the Maguasse Castle military base. IC Photo
The New York Times mentioned that during the tense situation in the South China Sea, China and the Philippines experienced another confrontation near Ren'ai Reef last month.
On July 21, the head of the Department of Border and Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Filipino ambassador to China urgently to express solemn protest over the deliberate provocation by the Philippines at Ren'ai Reef and the attack on Chinese maritime law enforcement officers. The Chinese side pointed out that Ren'ai Reef is part of the Chinese Nansha Islands and belongs to Chinese territory.
Surprisingly, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines stepped forward, claiming that “the United States will stand with the Philippines.” It is worth noting that the Philippines is one of the U.S.’s longest-standing treaty allies in Southeast Asia.
However, American media acknowledges that under the current circumstances, the United States' critical weapon inventories, including air defense interceptors, are becoming increasingly strained. The missile and drone attacks launched by Iran have forced the U.S. to withdraw its bases in the Middle East and destroyed those bases. This suggests what kind of damage a Chinese military could cause if conflicts break out in the Asian region—given that the strength of the Chinese military far exceeds that of Iran’s.
On July 6th, the Chinese strategic nuclear submarine successfully launched a strategic missile into the relevant open-sea areas of the Pacific Ocean. The missile carried a training dummy warhead and struck the designated area accurately. This missile test was part of the Chinese annual military exercises and was notified to relevant countries in advance. It complies with international law and international practices, and does not target any specific country or objective.
However, The New York Times still described this test launch as “rare”, and hyped up this missile as “one of the most powerful weapons in China’s arsenal”.
The report quotes concerns expressed by congressional officials, stating that “as China demonstrates its strength, the United States Department of State under President Trump is closing its consulates in Japan and Indonesia.” Gregory W. Meeks, a senior Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a federal representative from New York State, said in a statement that Trump’s second term “represents a major defeat for the United States’ interests in Asia.”
This strategy - if it can even be called a strategy - is essentially a gift given to China. It's weakening American credibility and harming our national security. He claimed.
In the face of skepticism, officials in the Trump administration insisted that the current government did not make concessions to Asia.
"American Defense Department "Third Man" Elbridge Colby, Deputy Secretary of Defense responsible for policy, made a speech in Manila on August 10th, stating that the Trump administration's goal is to maintain a "deterrence by denial" posture along the 'First Island Chain'.
Coleby also said that allies need to increase their defense spending and should strive to integrate their own armies with those of the United States, rather than “in vain trying to exclude us or replace us.”
In addition to the military aspect, Trump's global trade war (whose targets also include Southeast Asian countries) has also made allies and partner countries realize that the United States could also become a commercial rival.
Over the years, the U.S. government has lacked a clear economic vision on Southeast Asian issues, as politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), which was initiated by then-U.S. President Obama. This agreement later evolved into the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, known as CPTPP.
This makes Southeast Asian countries wonder what went wrong with America’s efforts to maintain its own existence in order to counter China, the report asks.
Mira Rapp-Hooper, who once worked for the National Security Council under the Biden administration and is now a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution, believes that although Southeast Asian countries are reluctant to be involved in the power struggle between China and the United States, they still hope to see the United States as a powerful counterbalance to China.
She added, “Therefore, the United States is gradually losing its role as a alternative option, and this perception has also left a deep impression on many partners.”
According to The New York Times, although Trump had regarded China as an economic competitor, after China reacted against the highly punitive tariffs imposed on China last year, he began to seek a more relaxed relationship with China. This move has made some Asian countries feel “left out,” while they have chosen to maintain friendly relations with China.
This is especially true in China, where it remains the largest trading partner for many countries. Moreover, the United States has not made efforts to provide economic alternatives.
Philippine political scientist Richard Heydarian said, “We are currently in a very difficult situation. We want to maintain the greatest possible relations with both China and the United States. This is even more impossible for a country like the Philippines, since the United States is our military ally. In the face of a ‘Chinese threat’, we need the United States, but beyond military matters, the United States has not given us much support in any other areas.”
