Jikon Lai is an assistant professor in the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
A cycle of reciprocal aggression between the world’s two largest and most influential powers cannot be the formula for stable or orderly coexistence. As a relatively neutral set of actors, Asean states should go beyond acting as mediators between the major powers and jointly identify possible solutions.