The week Donald Trump lost the South China Sea

Bill Hayton, Foreign Policy (USA)
South China Sea, the most disputed waterway in the world. Hanoi has been looking to Washington for implicit backing to see off Beijing's threats. At the same time, the Trump administration demonstrated that it either does not understand or sufficiently care about interests of its friends and potential partners in Southeast Asia to protect them against China. Southeast Asian governments will conclude that the United States does not have their backs. And while Washington eats itself over Russian spies and health care debates, one of the world's most crucial regions is slipping into Beijing's hands.