Version without the paywall

One bright spot in U.S.-Southeast Asia policy remains the U.S,-Philippines alliance, which appears stronger now than at any point in the previous decade. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has made a sustained effort to court the Trump administration and was the first Southeast Asian leader to secure a meeting with Trump during his second term.

And ofc my country remains a US Puppet… Pro-US political commentators here justify US involvement by citing our territorial conflict in the South China Sea, even though the article shows that Vietnam is warming up to China even despite their own territorial conflicts there as well.

Vietnam, which had seen its relationship with the United States expand significantly under the Biden administration as both sides had a common interest in deterring China’s expansion in the South China Sea, was dismayed when Trump announced a 46 percent tariff rate on Vietnamese exports in April.

[…]

Given the uncertainty stemming from current U.S. policy, Hanoi has warmed ties with Beijing in recent months, with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Hanoi twice in 18 months and Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam traveling to Beijing in August 2024.