Geopolitcal maneuvering in Southeast Asia

It appears that Condoleeza Rice will be endorsing Japan for a permanent spot on the UN Security Council. Japan is certainly deserving, but in the big picture this would seem to be part of a giant chess game going on in Southeast Asia right now. China is starting to feel their oats, and everyone is starting to maneuver themselves in order to protect themselves/reign China in. Ultimately, how this plays out is completely dependent on China. I sometimes can't help but feel that the world is slowly hurdling towards war in Southeast Asia. This is one of those posts I hope I'm wrong about. I just hope that history students hundred of years from now look back on the events of today and say, "why couldn't they see it coming?"