COMMENT | The 2026 Munich Security Report warns that the international order is entering an era of “wrecking-ball politics”, where established norms and institutions are being dismantled faster than they can be reformed.

Nowhere is this upheaval more consequential than in the Indo-Pacific. As the United States recalibrates its global posture and China accelerates its push for regional primacy, Asia’s strategic balance is undergoing structural change.

China’s rapid expansion and modernisation of its nuclear weapons infrastructure, including reported developments in Sichuan and renewed activity at Lop Nur, adds a destabilising layer to an already volatile environment.

The Munich report identifies a core dilemma: US allies increasingly question Washington’s reliability even as they confront a more assertive Beijing.

Unlike Europe, the Indo-Pacific lacks institutions comparable to...