freighty alloose. in the event of a war in china and the countries, the u.s. is beholden to enter the conflict on behalf of the partners. at the same time asian members are reluctant to antagonize chipee. beijing is -- china. beijing is a partner, but how much support will they give in terms of countering the china aggression. >> reporter: the asean countries are trying to strike a middle ground. they are away of a war. they try to serve as a buffer, a venue in which the various parties try to resolve their disputes in a negotiated manner. asian is really betwist and bebetween the two collosi of the region, the u.s. and china, trying to do its best to steady nerves and resolve the problems specifically. >> they are, indeed, and they are in a difficult position. if they had to choose, we'd know about china's influence in asia, particularly in south-east asia is engrained. we have the soft power, the economic power. how much of a threat is the u.s. to asia, to beijing's presence in the region? >> well, yes, the countries in the region, especially the asian count