Regional concerns were underscored recently with the Pentagon saying that a Chinese fighter jet made an "unnecessarily aggressive maneuver" against an American reconnaissance plane in the South China Sea late last week.
Under President Xi Jinping's leadership, China has grown more hawkish on the global stage, particularly in its historic claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
"What you are seeing is the emergence of a regional security architecture," said Thompson of the LKY School.
"The region is really coming together with a common interest in regional security and stability."
Singapore is Austin's second stop on a whirlwind tour that will also take him to Japan, India and France.
Persons:
Li, Xi Jinping's, We're, Chin, Hao Huang, Wang Wenbin, Huang, What's, Anthony Albanese, Thompson, Li —, Donald Trump, Austin, Joe Biden
Organizations:
Yale, NUS College, CNBC, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Australian, LKY, Pentagon, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Observers
Locations:
Austin, American, South, China, Taiwan, South China, Asia, Pacific, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Beijing, Korea, France, U.S