China-Japan Rift Triggers Charm Offensive for Southeast Asia

China’s growing assertiveness with Japan and the U.S. is helping bring a level of attention to Southeast Asia unseen since the Vietnam War, ushering billions of dollars of investment, wider access to trade and stepped-up military assistance.

A summit starting today between Southeast Asian leaders and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, coupled with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Vietnam and the Philippines from tomorrow, underscore the strategic and increasingly economic attraction of an area poised to benefit as the world’s top three economies -- the U.S., Japan and China -- vie for economic and political influence.