US tells ASEAN leaders committed ‘for generations’

WASHINGTON, 15 May 2022, (TON): President Joe Biden promised a long-term commitment to Southeast Asia in the face of China’s growing clout as he met regional leaders for a first summit in Washington.

Biden laid out $150 million in new initiatives and announced plans for the first full US ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in more than five years.

Biden told ASEAN leaders “a region that is free and open, stable and prosperous, and resilient and secure is what we’re all seeking.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, meeting ASEAN leaders for a working lunch, said the administration “recognizes the vital strategic importance of your region.”

She said “as an Indo-Pacific nation, the United States will be present and continue to be engaged in Southeast Asia for generations to come.”

Biden said “he would nominate Yohannes Abraham, the chief of staff of the National Security Council and a key aide during the presidential transition, as ambassador to ASEAN’s secretariat in Jakarta.”

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