China warns Asian nations to avoid being used as ‘chess pieces’ by big powers

Southeast Asia has long been an area of geopolitical friction between major powers given its strategic importance, with countries in the region now wary of being caught in the middle of US-China rivalry.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi warned on Monday in a policy speech in the Indonesian capital that countries should avoid being used as “chess pieces” by major powers in a region that he said was at risk of being reshaped by geopolitical factors.