The Obama administration is seeking to significantly increase its diplomatic presence in Asia, as a number of U.S. allies in the region voice concerns about China's increasingly assertive positions on territorial, security and economic issues.

WSJ: Clinton Presses China to Do More to Restrain North Korea

Judge Asril Marwan told the Banda Aceh district court that Ms McCulloch's actions "could have threatened national security and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Indonesia".

BBC: Foreign women jailed in Aceh

As its economic interests have grown, China has pressed for more access to Myanmar's harbours and territorial waters, to monitor the security of the new port and pipelines, and to keep an eye out for pirates.

ECONOMIST: Myanmar