With the ‘Indo-Pacific’ label losing its lustre, China has an opportunity

OpinionWith the ‘Indo-Pacific’ label losing its lustre, China has an opportunityAs the relevance of anti-China groupings such as the Quad and Aukus fades, Beijing and its neighbours have more room for dialogue3-MIN READ3-MIN0ListenWinston Mok, a private investor, was previously a private equity investor.Published: 4:30pm, 9 Jun 2026Updated: 5:22pm, 9 Jun 2026Beyond the diplomatic choreography of last month’s Xi-Trump summit, what are the structural implications of a less confrontational US-China relationship for the Asia-Pacific?The subsequent visits by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to India and US Secretary of Defence Peter Hegseth to Singapore in late May shed some light on the question. Both Rubio and Hegseth had accompanied Trump to Beijing.Perhaps most telling was the switch in the usage of a geographic term by the US administration. In his keynote speech at the Shangri-la Dialogue on May 30, Hegseth referred to the Pacific 17 times. In contrast to his remarks at the same forum last year, when Hegseth used the term “Indo-Pacific” many times, he never once deployed that construct in this year’s speech.Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x