This is CBSI and the World. I'm John Bachelor with Gordon Chang at Gordon G Chang.

Allies in East Asia, we're looking at Tokyo, Seoul, Manila, to begin with.

And we welcome Michael Sobelow.

Michael is here to help us understand a headline Japan and

Philippines trying to finish defense pact for signing in Manila as alarm grows over China. Gordon, that alarm has been ringing for some time.

It's encouraging to hear that they're rushing.

Michael is a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, author most recently of

countering China's great game, a strategy for American dominance. Michael, the

rushing the sense of alarm is fresh in that headline. What is the concern? Good

evening to you Michael. Good evening, John. Good evening Gordon. It's a

pleasure to be on. The alarm is about she Jinging and the belligerence of his foreign policy.

And I think this is something that Americans have ironically to thank she Jing Ping for.

He has been a unifying factor amongst America's allies and partners.

A few years ago, you wouldn't have seen Tokyo and Manila inking this kind of a military cooperation contract.

You wouldn't see this kind of overt alignment, but the fear in the South China Sea

is that the Chinese Coast Guard and the Navy are becoming more aggressive targeting the Philippines

in their own territorial waters and the concern for Japan is Taiwan security and the impact on Japan's self-defence if Taiwan were to fall.

So there's a lot of common cause for America's allies and partners to work together to deter China.

Gordon, you have a question for Michael.

Michael, there seem to be some other factors at work as well.

There is the increased Chinese aggressiveness, but there's also concern in the region about what happens if Donald Trump becomes president.

Because there is a fear that Trump, for instance, will unscramble things.

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