Chinese President Xi Jinping is making his country’s presence more felt across the Indo-Pacific region by testing U.S. allies on sensitive issues, as Donald Trump’s attention is taken up elsewhere.
From sending warships off Australia’s coast for unprecedented shooting drills to flying a record number of “gray zone” balloons around Taiwan, and putting pressure on Thailand over human rights issues, Beijing is ramping up efforts to project power in the region. China also issued a strongly worded warning on Taiwan to Tokyo — which doesn’t officially recognize Taipei — against “colluding” with separatists.
Trump’s sudden embrace of…