WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has announced that he will host a special summit of the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Washington this spring, indicating the importance he attaches to his Indo-Pacific policy amid China’s aggressive moves in the strategically vital region.
He made the announcement during a joint news conference with visiting Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House on Tuesday. The exact dates of the special summit have not been announced yet, but it is expected to be held soon. Singapore and the US are both committed to freedom of navigation as well as the unimpeded flow of maritime commerce in the South China Sea, Biden said.
Lee welcomed the decision. “It’s a strong affirmation of American commitment to Southeast Asia and to Asean centrality. The President and I discussed the importance of the US growing both its strategic and economic stakes in Asia-Pacific,” Lee said.
Biden said the US and Singapore are working to uphold a rules-based international order supporting the founding principles of the UN and advance a future for the Indo-Pacific that is both free and open. “We also discussed a wide range of concerns for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. That includes ensuring that all nations in the region, including China, uphold the principles that enable a free and open region,” he said, amidst China’s aggressive actions in the region.
Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing has impeded commercial activity by countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. The region is rich in fish stocks and undersea minerals. It has key sea lanes through which nearly $5 trillion in global trade travels annually.
He made the announcement during a joint news conference with visiting Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House on Tuesday. The exact dates of the special summit have not been announced yet, but it is expected to be held soon. Singapore and the US are both committed to freedom of navigation as well as the unimpeded flow of maritime commerce in the South China Sea, Biden said.
Lee welcomed the decision. “It’s a strong affirmation of American commitment to Southeast Asia and to Asean centrality. The President and I discussed the importance of the US growing both its strategic and economic stakes in Asia-Pacific,” Lee said.
Biden said the US and Singapore are working to uphold a rules-based international order supporting the founding principles of the UN and advance a future for the Indo-Pacific that is both free and open. “We also discussed a wide range of concerns for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. That includes ensuring that all nations in the region, including China, uphold the principles that enable a free and open region,” he said, amidst China’s aggressive actions in the region.
Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing has impeded commercial activity by countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. The region is rich in fish stocks and undersea minerals. It has key sea lanes through which nearly $5 trillion in global trade travels annually.
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