As American allies in Asia take matters into their own hands, what of the US?

According to a new Trump Risk Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit, several Asian economies, including some with close security ties to the US, are especially vulnerable when it comes to trade. Among the 10 major trading partners that are most at risk due to potential trade policy changes under Trump, six of them are in Asia.

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Chinese and Philippine ships clash in first incident under Beijing’s new coast guard law

To be fair, this has broadly worked well, as shown by the flurry of dialogue and agreements between countries such as Japan and the Philippines, India and Vietnam and Japan and South Korea. Yet, for Washington in the long term, this strategy cedes leverage by making allies less dependent on the US. It also bolsters the development of a multipolar Asia in which US power will be significantly diluted.

Mohamed Zeeshan is a foreign affairs columnist based in Washington, DC, and the author of “Flying Blind: India’s Quest for Global Leadership”