As the two major powers in Asia, the United States and China are pivotal in shaping the regional order. Questions abound about the Trump administration’s Asia policy, while many uncertainties also remain about the future of the bilateral relationship between Washington and Beijing. Many analysts argue that these uncertainties, the US withdrawal from TPP, and Trump’s isolationist instincts have created a vacuum in the region that China is poised to fill. In this special lecture, Professor David Shambaugh–a noted American authority on US-China relations and the international relations of Asia–will explore the relative positions of the United States and China in the region, and will assess the degree to which they are competing for regional influence. Professor Shambaugh will assess the state of the Sino-American relationship, the relative strengths and weaknesses that each major power possesses in Asia, what each has to offer other countries in the region, whether a “power shift” is taking place, and the implications for the evolving regional order.