by Ellen L. Frost, Bangkok Post, Thailand - Although the balance of power in Asia is stable, the balance of influence is shifting in favour of China. China has become the number-one or number-two trading partner of virtually every country in the region. Seeking strength in numbers, Southeast Asian governments strive not only to tap into China's new wealth, but also to embed Beijing in a thicket of organisations and dialogues in the name of community-building and closer integration. Despite the significance of these changes in Asia's strategic landscape, for many years now US attention has fixated on the Middle East. High-ranking US officials are preoccupied with Islamist terrorists, the war in Iraq and recent developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since Asia is stable and peaceful, the president and his top aides pay little or no attention to regional diplomacy in Asia.