United States President Donald Trump has decisively altered the orbit of the Sino-American relationship such that the strategic competition between the two sides will continue to send shock waves across the globe for a long time to come. But opportunities may still exist for South-east Asia, retired diplomat Bilahari Kausikan said.

This is provided Asean acts boldly to transform the 10-member grouping into a common market and production base that can boost regional economies, create new jobs and cushion the impact of external shocks.

He was delivering a keynote speech yesterday at a closed-door roundtable attended by regional policymakers, editors and analysts, organised by the Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.