Asia pivot: This time with feeling!

Barack Obama's Asia pivot was a dud, as America was too preoccupied with Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern hotspots. That gave China time to build its military capabilities and its alliances with nations big and small in the Asia-Pacific.

- BOO CHANCO

Now, the United States may finally manage an honest-to-goodness Asia pivot as Trump's new Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio, takes office. But China is now more formidable than it ever was.

Known as a China hawk, Rubio is well-informed on China-related issues, having written thoughtful articles on China recently. His appointment will also cause some awkward moments for Beijing, which must now figure out how to lift the ban it has imposed on Rubio because of his public views on Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

It isn't just Rubio. The International Centre for Defense and Security (ICDS) noted that Trump advisors, even during the campaign, have stressed that the geopolitical threat they would rather focus on is China.

An article written by former Trump National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien argued that, "The navy should also move one of its aircraft carriers from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and the Pentagon should consider deploying the entire Marine Corps to the Pacific, relieving it in particular of missions in the Middle East and North Africa."

ICDS further observed, "It is clear that foreign policy advisors in Trump's orbit view China as the main threat to US interests. This is corroborated by Trump's focus on China taking advantage of the US in trade and his statements that the US must increase capabilities in the Pacific while reducing overall force, thereby suggesting that the US will move capabilities from the European front to Asia."

Ironically, ICDS concluded, US disengagement in Ukraine is likely to benefit China, as it would set the geopolitical groundwork for Beijing to expand its aggression in the South China Sea.