China has made it easy for the US to entrench its position in East Asia. The US now has military bases/pacts with Japan ,South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. US relations with India, Indonesia, and Vietnam are on the rise as well. Within the last couple years, the US military has shifted its focus away from counterterror operations in the Middle East back to near pear competitors. The US military is now launching a near full scale recapitalization of its forces over the next 15-20 years. This spells trouble for China along its periphery in the future. Why? Because, the US will have the military capability and network of alliances to maintain hegemony in the sea and skies of East Asia. Unless the CCP retreats from its current position, I expect China will remain "bogged down" in Asia over the next few decades to come.