No 2 US diplomat’s trip to show US ‘continued commitment to Indo-Pacific’
- Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to set out Sunday on a nine-day trip to South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos
- The tour, which follows President Joe Biden’s trip to Japan and South Korea, reflects the administration’s steady focus on the region, the State Department says
Washington’s No 2 diplomat will criss-cross East and Southeast Asia on a nine-day trip beginning on Sunday, the latest in a recent burst of top-level US diplomacy in the region.
Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will meet with officials in South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos, the State Department said on Friday.
Her trip comes amid worsening tensions with Beijing – but also questions about the US engagement in Asia while Washington has been consumed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Joe Biden arrives in South Korea for a tour of Asia to strengthen US ties in the Indo-Pacific
“The deputy secretary’s travel to the region reflects the United States’ continued commitment to the Indo-Pacific,” the department said.
US President Joe Biden and officials in his administration have said repeatedly that the US views its alliances and partnerships throughout the region as vital to its strategy to compete with an increasingly assertive China.
Even as the war in Ukraine rages past its 100th day with no apparent end in sight, administration officials have emphasised that they still regard China as their top priority.
Sherman’s trip comes just days after Biden himself travelled to South Korea and Japan to meet with the two countries’ leaders.