One issue that tops the agenda in both Washington and Beijing in regard to Southeast Asia is the Straits of Malacca, which is geo-strategically important to all major powers around the globe.
Historically, Chinese mariners visited the South China Sea far earlier than their western counterparts.
In China, Admiral Cheng Ho would not have been elevated to the status of a semi-god if not for the fact that he single-handedly established cordial relations between the Ming Court and among the various sultanates, as his mighty armada of vessels plied the Straits of Malacca time and time again.