Southeast Asian countries should not be singled out for failing to take a unified stance on the escalating US-China rivalry – other regional blocs such as the European Union are grappling with mixed allegiances, too, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told a forum on Tuesday evening. The U.S. and China will not quickly or easily reach a new modus vivendi. Southeast Asia will have to navigate a prolonged period of unusual uncertainty, writes Bilahari Kausikan for Nikkei Asian Review. Meanwhile, in an article published by South China Morning Post, Mark J. Valencia says the Philippine leader, whether intentionally or not, has succeeded in doing what most nations in the region must do – maintain its relations with both Beijing and Washington to its own benefit, but without angering either.