Leaders in Southeast Asia say they want to be friends with both the U.S. and China

"We reject dominance by any single power. We avoid exclusive commitments with any single party. We just want to be friends with everyone," said Singapore 's Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong .

Malaysia 's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim : "I would want Malaysia to be closer to the United States , as much as we are very close to China " The administration's interest in Asia-Pacific has also grown exponentially this year .