U.S.- China Competition in the Mekong Subregion: Geography vs Strategy

The United States and China are locked in a geopolitical rivalry in the Indo-Pacific region, and both Washington and Beijing make no qualms about expressing this reality. While the U.S. claims China to be a country that has both the capability and intention to harm America’s interests, China berates the U.S. for exercising unhealthy hegemony in the region. Therefore, it is imperative to assess how the U.S.-China competition is shaping the contours of politics, economics and security in pivotal subregions of the Indo-Pacific