WHEN LI SHANGFU , China’s defence minister, refused to have a meeting with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, on the sidelines of the recent Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, Asian countries’ nerves will have jangled. As the rivalry between America and China heats up, they have found themselves in a tricky position. Many have become suspicious of China’s supposed economic beneficence. Some are also riled at the way China uses its economic heft to bully its neighbours. But, despite pressure from America, few are keen to disentangle economically from Asia’s great power. Many of the industries that drive their growth have supply chains that run through China, and its investment in their infrastructure is useful, despite the strings attached.
当中国国防部长李·香格（Li Shangfu）拒绝与最近的香格里拉对话安全峰会的旁观者与他的美国同行劳埃德·奥斯汀（Lloyd Austin）会面时，亚洲国家的紧张情绪将会很困难。随着美国与中国之间的竞争，他们发现自己处于棘手的位置。许多人对中国所谓的经济仁慈感到怀疑。有些人也以中国利用其经济重杀来欺负其邻国的方式被激怒。但是，尽管有来自美国的压力，但很少有人渴望从亚洲的大国经济上解散。尽管附有条件，但许多推动其增长的行业都有贯穿中国的供应链，其在基础设施上的投资仍然有用。
