Richard J. Cook, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, China. His research interests include China-US Relations, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Hierarchy in International Relations and International Security.Maximilian Ohle is a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Political Science, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany. His research interests include China-Russia Relations, Russian Foreign Policy, Territorial Integrity and Secessionism in the post-Soviet Space, Hierarchy in International Relations and International Security in East Asia.Zhaoying Han, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of International Relations, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, China. His research interests include China-US Relations, Chinese Foreign Policy and International Relations Theory.

• 1. Introduction2. Status Quo of Instability, the China-US Strategic Competition, and China’s Challenge to the Status Quo3. Geostrategic Linchpins and Kingmaking4. Japan: Supplementing the Balance as Washington’s Cornerstone5. South Korea: Facing up to the Kingmaker’s Role as Northeast Asia’s Linchpin6. The Philippines: Dodging the Kingmaker’s Role as Southeast Asia’s Oscillating Linchpin7. Vietnam: Maintaining Space to Hedge and Resisting the Kingmaker’s Role with Stopgaps 8. Conclusion

Richard J. Cook, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, China. His research interests include China-US Relations, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Hierarchy in International Relations and International Security.Maximilian Ohle is a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Political Science, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany. His research interests include China-Russia Relations, Russian Foreign Policy, Territorial Integrity and Secessionism in the post-Soviet Space, Hierarchy in International Relations and International Security in East Asia.Zhaoying Han, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of International Relations, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, China. His research interests include China-US Relations, Chinese Foreign Policy and International Relations Theory.

• 1. Introduction2. Status Quo of Instability, the China-US Strategic Competition, and China’s Challenge to the Status Quo3. Geostrategic Linchpins and Kingmaking4. Japan: Supplementing the Balance as Washington’s Cornerstone5. South Korea: Facing up to the Kingmaker’s Role as Northeast Asia’s Linchpin6. The Philippines: Dodging the Kingmaker’s Role as Southeast Asia’s Oscillating Linchpin7. Vietnam: Maintaining Space to Hedge and Resisting the Kingmaker’s Role with Stopgaps 8. Conclusion

Richard J. Cook, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, China. His research interests include China-US Relations, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Hierarchy in International Relations and International Security.Maximilian Ohle is a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Political Science, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany. His research interests include China-Russia Relations, Russian Foreign Policy, Territorial Integrity and Secessionism in the post-Soviet Space, Hierarchy in International Relations and International Security in East Asia.Zhaoying Han, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of International Relations, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, China. His research interests include China-US Relations, Chinese Foreign Policy and International Relations Theory.

• 1. Introduction2. Status Quo of Instability, the China-US Strategic Competition, and China’s Challenge to the Status Quo3. Geostrategic Linchpins and Kingmaking4. Japan: Supplementing the Balance as Washington’s Cornerstone5. South Korea: Facing up to the Kingmaker’s Role as Northeast Asia’s Linchpin6. The Philippines: Dodging the Kingmaker’s Role as Southeast Asia’s Oscillating Linchpin7. Vietnam: Maintaining Space to Hedge and Resisting the Kingmaker’s Role with Stopgaps 8. Conclusion