The US-China rivalry is set to be sharpened at a Bangkok summit that opened Wednesday, with Washington's top diplomat primed to insist his nation remains a key Asia-Pacific power in the face of Beijing's military ambitions in contested seas and airspace.
Foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian countries are meeting in the Thai capital this week, where free trade will dominate their concerns.
While
China denies it flouted Japanese or Korean airspace, the exercise has rattled Tokyo and Seoul -- and posed a new test of Washington's influence in a region home to the two crucial US allies.