In Washington for summit, Asean leaders to meet with top US government, business officials
- Along with President Joe Biden, the Southeast Asian leaders will have talks with Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Antony Blinken and American CEOs
- Topics for discussion include China, the mainland’s relations with Taiwan, Myanmar and how the war in Ukraine might affect the Indo-Pacific region
At the upcoming meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, US President Joe Biden hopes to make clear that the United States is committed to expanding its engagement with member countries, the White House’s coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region said on Wednesday.
“In the past, Asean relations was managed by or engaged with deeply committed professionals, generally a small group from the State Department, USAID and perhaps a few other agencies,” said Kurt Campbell said, referring to the US Agency for International Development.
“What we’ve tried to do in this set of meetings is to broaden to the entirety of the US government. Every major official is involved in events and engagements,” Campbell said in remarks at the US Institute of Peace in Washington.
The gathering, which takes place on Thursday and Friday, will be the second US-Asean Special Leaders’ Summit since 2016, when president Barack Obama hosted leaders of the 10-member bloc in California.
Details about the leaders’ itinerary were announced on Wednesday, including meetings with US lawmakers on Capitol Hill.