Ya. V. LEKSYUTINA, Doctor of Political Sciences Saint Petersburg State University Keywords: US-China rivalry, Asia-Pacific region, USA, China, security in the Asia-Pacific region, Trans-Pacific Partnership The Asia-Pacific region (AP) is undergoing major changes in the 21st century. Changes are taking place not only in the political elites, but also in the internal political life of the countries of the region (for example, democratic transformations in Myanmar). The economic power of a number of states is rapidly strengthening, and integration processes in the economy are gaining momentum, both on a bilateral basis in the form of free trade agreements and in the form of creating extensive regional trade and economic blocs. At the same time, some alarming trends are also developing, such as the aggravation of territorial disputes at sea and on land, the militarization of the region, and the arms race. At the same time, one of the most important factors influencing the changes taking place in the region was the strengthening of China's economic and, in general, national power, the growing interest of the Chinese leadership in expanding its presence in its immediate environment, and as its operational capabilities increase, in other, more remote regions of the world [1]. The second such factor was the 2011 decision of the Obama administration to "pivot to Asia", based on traditional military and political tools. The updated US strategy of" containing China " covers four areas. The first is the revival of the ANZUS military Alliance (USA, Australia and New Zealand), which was established in 1951. In November 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Wellington Declaration with New Zealand and the Sydney Agreement with Australia to expand the military partnership. The second is to build a new system of presence in Indochina. In July 2011, the US Congress officially supported Vietnam in its conflict with China in the South China Sea. Following this, in the summer of 2012, ... Read more