China's high-stakes game poses major challenge to US

IT IS widely recognised that the Trump administration has yet to fill key Asia policy posts. Whether this is a consequence of intention or gross negligence is not clear, but it has left many Asian leaders wondering how they can reach out to Washington and, equally if not more important, the future direction of its foreign policy in the region.

Meanwhile, hardly a day passes without news of China's activities in the South China Sea or machinations on the Korean peninsula. These two issues will certainly capture most of the attention of the White House and future Cabinet members with Asia portfolios.

Yet, there is a larger high-stakes game being played out by China that deserves a much closer look and a strategic response from Washington: the so-called One Belt One Road initiative, or OBOR, which was formalised at a summit on May 14-15 in Beijing that was attended by top leaders from 28 countries.