This is the first visit by an American president to an ASEAN summit since 2017. Joe Biden landed on the morning of November 12 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where the summit of the Association of Nations is being held. South East Asia. A visit which is part of an Asian sequence of the United States which demonstrates a renewed strategic interest in the region.
With our correspondent in Phnom Penh, Juliette Buchez
Joe Biden announced his desire to strengthen American relations with Asia-Pacific in May 2022. A desire that his visit to the ASEAN summit should illustrate. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the relevance of which is often debated, has today established itself as a forum where struggles for influence are also played out.
ASEAN wants more than a gesture from the Americans
As such, ASEAN is in a position to wait for more than a gesture from the American giant to convince them of its ability to counterbalance Chinese hegemony in the region. While the Obama presidency had spoken of a pivot on Asia, the Trump era cut it short. A major setback for US relations with ASEAN.
A void that has been taken advantage of by China, which is the region’s leading commercial and political partner. On the occasion of the summit being held in Phnom Penh, relations between Washington and ASEAN must be officially elevated to the rank of global strategic partnership. A more symbolic status than anything else.
What announcements?
It is therefore a question of whether Biden intends to make other announcements to his Asian counterparts. On the sidelines of the summit, he must also meet with the Japanese Prime Minister and the President of South Korea in a context of renewed tensions on Taiwan and on North Korea which is increasing the firing of missiles.
The United States’ Asian streak will continue with the G20 in Bali, Indonesia where Joe Biden is due to meet Xi Jiping for the first time. Then with the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum in Bangkok, Thailand, attended by Vice President Kamala Harris.
►Also read : Despite the stalemate in the crisis, ASEAN maintains the status quo on Burma