Biden holds summit with Southeast Asian leaders in DC

President Joe Biden will chair a special ASEAN summit in Washington next month.

The meetings with Southeast Asian leaders on May 12 and 13 come amid an ongoing global pandemic, growing concerns about China’s ambitions as Russia waged war in Ukraine, and tensions between the United States and Myanmar – a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – over the campaign against the Rohingya minority that the Biden administration recently called a “genocide.”

“The top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration is to be a strong, trusted partner in Southeast Asia,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Saturday. “Our shared aspirations for the region will further underpin our shared commitment to promote a free and open, secure, connected and resilient Indo-Pacific.”

Psaki said Biden will build on commitments the US made at the October ASEAN meeting, including $102 million for health, environmental, economic and gender equality initiatives. The United States is not a member of ASEAN, but has worked closely with the bloc and its members to counter Chinese influence in the Eastern Hemisphere.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here