#USChinaTensions As China and the United States prepare for what is expected to be a long and painful trade war, Southeast Asia is emerging as a major battleground. And in a region where smaller countries are often sidelined in the relationships between the two largest economies in the world, a battle between the United States and China over trade brings both opportunities and risks.

The high tariffs imposed by Trump on products from Southeast Asian countries have prompted officials in the region to rush to negotiate relief with the White House. At the same time, the region's largest neighbor and number one trading partner, China, is working to expand trade ties that sparked the surge in shipments to the United States in the first place.

Moreover, as Trump's tariffs slow the flow of Chinese imports to the United States, a flood of cheap Chinese products could soon inundate Southeast Asian countries, undermining their industries and eroding jobs.

"Americans are going to pressure them. The Chinese are going to pressure them," says Rick Waters, a former State Department official. "It puts smaller countries in a more difficult position."