In a headline-making announcement on Tuesday (August 22), the White House revealed that US Vice President Kamala Harris will likely be the official US representative on the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta from September 4-7. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden can be within the highlight when he attends the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, from September 7-10.
In making the announcement, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized that President Biden would reaffirm U.S. commitment to the G20 while signaling the United States’ readiness to host the forum in 2026.
Responding to observations and questions regarding President Biden’s absence from the ASEAN summit and U.S. involvement within the Asia-Pacific region, Sullivan emphasized that the United States is systematically strengthening its position within the region through a series of meetings during which President Biden has been participating since 2021. Thus, the impression stays of the US’s determination to strengthen its ties within the region, even when President Biden’s physical presence on the ASEAN summit didn’t happen on this context.
Harris and ASEAN leaders will assess the “unprecedented development of US-ASEAN relations” under the Biden administration. The visit also reaffirms the United States’ long-term commitment to Southeast Asia and the importance of ASEAN’s central role. This statement was published by press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and quoted on the White House website.
Through this summit and other energetic participation, the Vice President will support a spread of initiatives to advance shared prosperity and security. These include measures to deal with the climate crisis, strengthen maritime security, develop infrastructure and promote economic growth, in addition to efforts to implement and strengthen international standards within the region and address other regional and global challenges.
Earlier, in November 2022, President Joe Biden personally attended the US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This got here six months after he hosted the historic US-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington. Meanwhile, that is the vice chairman’s third visit to Southeast Asia in two years, following his trip to Singapore and Vietnam in August 2021 and his visit to Thailand and the Philippines in November 2022.
