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US promises to increase engagement with ASEAN: Visiting official
A senior United States diplomat promises closer ties with ASEAN during a tour of the region, which must put to bed any lingering perceptions of absence, critics say.
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United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink (right), greets Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar with a pandemic elbow bump, during the former's visit to Jakarta on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. (Courtesy of US Embassy in Jakarta/-)
T
he United States wants to increase its presence and engagement with Southeast Asian nations to demonstrate its commitment to ASEAN centrality, Washington’s senior diplomat for East Asian affairs has said.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Kritenbrink, who was in Jakarta on Monday and Tuesday, said his country was committed to peace and stability across the wider Indo-Pacific region.
He is on a four-country tour in Southeast Asia and is to visit Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok later this week. In Jakarta, he met with Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar, the ministry’s director general for American and European affairs, Ngurah Swajaya, and director general for ASEAN affairs Sidharto Suryodipuro.
He also separately met with Health Minister Budi Gunadi and ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi. The US mission to ASEAN tweeted that the US and ASEAN were “working to defend the rules-based international order and tackle global challenges like COVID-19 and the climate crisis”.
The visit happened as multiple reports in the region indicated that the US was planning to step up its game by hosting an in-person summit between US President Joe Biden and ASEAN leaders in Washington in the new year.
Kritenbrink said the US already enjoyed a strong presence in the region, highlighting US trade and investment flows with ASEAN countries, as well as its significant security presence. Several nations in the region like the Philippines are defense allies, with guaranteed backing from Washington in the event of a security threat.
Commenting on the US diplomatic presence in Southeast Asia, the official said numerous high-level visits to capitals in the region served to show Washington’s commitment.
