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WASHINGTON: The highest U.S. diplomat for East Asia will go to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand from the weekend after President Joe Biden pledged stepped up engagement with Southeast Asia, a key battleground in his contest for affect with China.
Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, will likely be within the area from Saturday till Dec. 4, a State Division assertion mentioned.
Kritenbrink would “reaffirm the U.S. dedication to work collectively … to sort out essentially the most severe international and regional challenges” and stress U.S. assist for “a rules-based order within the Indo-Pacific,” it mentioned, a reference to China’s more and more assertive habits within the area, which Washington has repeatedly denounced as “coercive.”
Kritenbrink will talk about human rights “challenges,” search to bolster cooperation on local weather change and talk about methods to stress Myanmar’s navy authorities to stop violence and permit unhindered humanitarian entry, the assertion mentioned.
He can even talk about easy methods to strengthen financial relationships and “construct again higher” from the COVID-19 pandemic, it mentioned.
Biden joined leaders of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a digital summit final month, the primary time in 4 years Washington had engaged on the prime degree with the bloc.
He pledged to face with ASEAN in defending freedom of the seas and democracy, and mentioned Washington would begin talks on growing a regional financial framework, one thing critics say his Asia technique has lacked since his predecessor Donald Trump stop a regional commerce pact.
An Asian diplomat mentioned regional nations have been nonetheless awaiting particulars of this plan, recognizing Biden’s give attention to rebuilding home financial power was a limiting issue.
Daniel Russel, a predecessor of Kritenbrink within the Obama administration, mentioned a key query for ASEAN was “whether or not the US really has a viable financial technique” for the area.
“The pledge to debate methods to strengthen U.S. financial engagement with ASEAN nations is music to their ears, even when they might be underwhelmed by the ‘financial framework’ up to now,” he mentioned.
Kritenbrink’s journey announcement pressured the “centrality” of the 10-member ASEAN to regional affairs, however he won’t go to the bloc’s new chair, Cambodia, which has shifted ever nearer to China.
The Asian diplomat and Russel mentioned Kritenbrink was prone to go to different ASEAN nations earlier than lengthy and Russel famous Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is dwelling to the bloc’s everlasting headquarters.
“Whereas it is very important talk about the ASEAN agenda with the 2022 chair, visiting ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta will afford him the chance to start that dialog,” Russel mentioned.
(This story was refiled to recast headline)
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