Kritenbrink announced Blinken’s Asia tour, which is about to run from Tuesday to Aug. 3 and include stops in Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia.
Blinken’s visit to Asia comes as regional allies are growing skeptical concerning the direction of Washington’s foreign policy. The U.S. election in November and the possible return of former President Donald Trump to the White House have raised questions on whether the United States could turn toward isolationism.
What’s more, President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination could only add to concerns.
While Kritenbrink did in a roundabout way address the political climate within the U.S., he said that “in addition to our work with our partners in ASEAN and Southeast Asia, this trip is also an opportunity to highlight the unprecedented work we have done to strengthen relationships with our treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific region.”
However, during a separate briefing on Monday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked whether the tip of Biden’s re-election bid had prompted internal discussions about canceling Blinken’s trip to Asia.
“We still have one-eighth of the president’s term left,” he replied.
“There is still a lot of important work to do,” Miller added, and Biden “expects our team to remain focused on getting it done.”
Neither the US nor China are members of ASEAN, but they’re commonly invited to attend the affiliate’s regional meetings, where they often hold talks on the sidelines.
On Monday, Kritenbrink did in a roundabout way confirm the meeting but cited “long-standing precedent” of meeting with “several counterparts, including his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi” when Blinken travels to the region for multilateral events.
He said that at ASEAN regional meetings, Blinken would emphasize “promoting compliance with international law in the South China Sea” and “speaking out” against Russia’s “illegal war” against Ukraine.
Blinken and Wang last met in Beijing in April for nearly six hours, during which he raised concerns about Beijing’s alleged support for Russia’s arms industry. Earlier this month, Washington and its allies in Europe accused Beijing of being a “decisive supporter” of Moscow’s “war machine” and said European security was linked to security within the Indo-Pacific.
China said it “doesn’t supply weapons to the parties to the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use items, which is well known by the international community.”
Meanwhile, five ASEAN member states—Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia—remain at odds with China over the South China Sea. Since 2018, ASEAN has been negotiating a code of conduct with Beijing to avoid conflict over the hotly contested, economically vital waterway. The talks are expected to conclude by 2026.
The agreement comes after incidents by which Chinese vessels collided with Philippine supply ships and Coast Guard vessels and blocked supply missions with high-pressure water cannons.
Kritenbrink on Monday welcomed the agreement, reaffirming Washington’s strong support for Manila, the oldest ally under the mutual defense treaty in Asia.
“As an ally of the Philippines, we support the diplomacy they have chosen to pursue,” he said, adding that the secret is “ensuring that it is implemented and that China ceases its provocative and destabilizing actions.”
Blinken can be scheduled to travel to Manila and Tokyo. On Sunday, he’s to fulfill with counterparts from India, Japan and Australia, the opposite countries within the Quad, a casual bloc aimed toward countering China’s influence within the Indo-Pacific.
In addition to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Blinken can even meet along with his Japanese counterparts to advance the trilateral partnerships the U.S. has with South Korea and the Philippines.
On July 30, the U.S. and Philippine foreign and defense ministers will hold a 2+2 dialogue. Blinken and Austin are also scheduled to fulfill with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office two years ago. Since then, the U.S. has gained access to 4 more military facilities within the country.
“The officials will reaffirm our country’s shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and support for upholding international law in maritime areas,” Kritenbrink said.
“They will discuss ways to deepen coordination on shared challenges, including in the South China Sea, while also promoting our critically important bilateral economic agenda,” he added.
