US seizes chance as China rattles Asia: "For years, US policymakers have watched uneasily as China grew more assertive, fearing that the emerging power would cut into Washington's clout in one of the world's most dynamic regions.
But in recent weeks, China's rise has instead offered a golden opportunity for the United States, which has swiftly rallied behind the growing number of Asian nations that have butted heads with Beijing.
After China piled pressure on Japan to free a captain captured near disputed islands, the United States said it considered the chain -- known as the Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese -- to be under Tokyo's administration, meaning that US forces would be obliged by treaty to defend Japan in an attack.
With Southeast Asian nations voicing alarm over Chinese attempts to exert sovereignty in disputed waters, President Barack Obama and regional leaders in a summit Friday called for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea."
