As ASEAN faces challenge posed by US China competition, gap between Delhi's promise and delivery remains large. The consequences of the unfolding conflict between the US and China the world's most important economic and military powers may look somewhat abstract at this moment in Delhi. But coping with the Sino US confrontation is an existential question for the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). No region in the world is so badly caught in the crossfire between Washington and Beijing, thanks to South East Asia's profound interdependence with both America and China. The US has been the ASEAN's leading economic partner for decades. It is also the principal provider of security to a region that has seen an extended period of stability. A rising China, however, has begun to eclipse American commercial domination and challenge US military primacy in the region. Last week's meetings of the ARF the regional forum of the ASEAN that brings together all the major powers to promote peace and prosperity in the region in Singapore underline the region's continuing struggle to deal with the challenges. The ASEAN expects India to provide a measure of economic ballast and strategic balance in these difficult circumstances. India has its task cut out on both fronts. As the trade war between America and China escalates, the ASEAN has put special emphasis on accelerating trade liberalisation through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement under negotiation for many years. Although India has formally committed to bringing the RCEP talks to a close, many issues remain to be resolved between India and the ASEAN. Unless there is highest level political intervention in Delhi, India is in the danger of being left out of what promises to be one of the biggest trading blocks of the world.