ABSTRACT
The presence of the United States in the East Asia region remains the main obstacle on the Chinese path toward regional hegemony. In spite of rapid changes in the East Asian landscape since the end of the Cold War not to say since the formation of the hub-and-spoke system Washington's web of alliances in the region has remained remarkably stable. In times of major crisis or war in East Asia, naval assets will remain the cornerstone of any US response. Forces forward-deployed in East Asia would play a pivotal role as the first responders to possible threats or unwelcome initiatives in the region. China's ability to keep the US Navy away from East Asian waters constitutes a necessary and almost sufficient condition for a Chinese bid for regional hegemony. Recent Chinese efforts have been mainly devoted to pushing the line beyond which US forces could be contained farther away from East Asian waters.
