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Biden ‘expected’ to keep focus on ASEAN, Indo-Pacific amid Ukraine crisis
The United States has a lot to prove for its commitment to maintain peace in Southeast Asia and the wider region, amid tensions with Russia over Ukraine that could lead to an all-out war.
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United States troops walk from a US Air Force transport plane transporting military equipment and troops after landing at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, on Feb. 6. A large contingent of US troops landed in Poland as part of reinforcement following the tensions with Russia. (AFP/JANEK SKARZYNSKI )
U
nited States President Joe Biden is expected to host the leaders of ASEAN for a special summit in March in a show of commitment to the region, officials have confirmed, despite the pressing matters that the US faces elsewhere.
Washington has slowly ramped up its engagement with ASEAN and other partners and allies as part of its wider Indo-Pacific strategy, roundly considered as a vehicle for it to contain China’s growing regional influence.
But the Biden administration still has a lot to prove for its commitment to maintain peace and stability in Southeast Asia and the wider region, especially amid tensions with Russia in Ukraine that could still result in an all-out war.
Over the weekend, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen published his correspondence with Biden from earlier this month, in which he thanked the US leader for the invitation to the forthcoming US-ASEAN summit in Washington.
Hun Sen, in his capacity as ASEAN leader for this year’s Cambodian chairmanship, expressed his confidence in the summit, saying in a letter dated Feb. 1 that the meeting would “provide a good opportunity for us to exchange views on how to further advance ASEAN-US cooperation”.
With Indonesia coordinating ASEAN-US cooperation this year, officials from Jakarta and Washington have been working closely together to find the right timing for the meeting, especially as it is to be carried out in person.
The Foreign Ministry’s ASEAN Affairs Director General, Sidharto Suryodipuro, told The Jakarta Post that while the final date of the summit had yet to be confirmed, it would most likely happen sometime in March.
