WASHINGTON, USA – United States President Joe Biden said on Friday, May 13, a first summit in Washington with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations marked the launch of a “new era” in the relationship between the United States and the 10-nation bloc.
Biden’s administration hopes the effort will show that the United States remains focused on the Indo-Pacific and the long-term challenge of China, which it views as its main competitor, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The United States and ASEAN have shared a vision for this region, and together we will guard against threats to international rules and norms,” Harris said.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, though Myanmar’s leader was excluded from the summit over a coup last year and US treaty ally the Philippines is in transition after an election and is represented by its foreign minister.
Biden on Friday announced the nomination of a new ambassador to ASEAN, Yohannes Abraham, currently chief of staff on his National Security Council, to fill a post vacant since the start of his predecessor Donald Trump’s administration in 2017. Biden also is working on more initiatives, including “Build Back Better World” infrastructure investment and an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework . Neither is finalized.
Russia’s invasion was also on the agenda with ASEAN, with the United States hoping to persuade ASEAN countries to do more to push back against Moscow.
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