US President Joe Biden pledges more support on Myanmar, South China Sea row in ‘new era’ of US-Asean ties

The elevation of US-Asean ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ will help the region defend against threats to the rules-based order, Biden said in talks with Asean leaders

Myanmar’s post-coup crisis continued to be a major talking point in Phnom Penh, with the UN chief saying the international community had ‘failed’ the violence-wracked nation

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US President Joe Biden said his visit to Phnom Penh – his first to Southeast Asia since he took office in 2021 – was “testament to the importance the United States places in our relationship with Asean”. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:19pm, 12 Nov 2022

United States President Joe Biden on Saturday said the embattled Asean bloc – facing questions about its unity – was at the heart of Washington’s Asia policy and promised closer collaboration on major regional challenges such as Myanmar’s post-coup violence and the South China Sea dispute.

In his remarks during talks with nine of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) member states’ leaders in Phnom Penh, Biden said his presence at the meeting was “testament to the importance the United States places in our relationship with Asean”.

“Asean is the heart of my administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy. And we continue to strengthen our commitment to work in lockstep with an empowered, unified Asean,” he said.

The US president also announced the launch of the US-Asean Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which expands multilateral cooperation in areas including environment and climate. The partnership puts Washington’s relationship with Asean on the same level as China.

The pact sought to defend against “threats to the rule of law” and “build an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, stable and prosperous, resilient and secure”, Biden said, adding that the agreement marked a “new era” in US-Asean ties.

“I look forward to continuing our work together with Asean and with each one of you to deepen peace and prosperity throughout the region to resolve challenges from the South China Sea to Myanmar and to find innovative solutions to shared challenges,” he said in brief remarks televised to the media before closed-door talks began.

US President Joe Biden meets Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Phnom Penh on November 12, 2022. Photo: AFP

The Myanmar crisis and the years-long territorial and maritime dispute between several Asean states and China over the South China Sea were expected to be part of the agenda during the US President’s talks with the nine Asean leaders.