President Biden to host US-Asean Special Summit in Washington, DC, in May
United States President Joe Biden will host in-person the leaders of Asean in Washington, DC, on May 12 and 13 for a US-Asean Special Summit, the White House said on Saturday (April 16).
WASHINGTON - "The Special Summit will demonstrate the United States' enduring commitment to Asean, recognising its central role in delivering sustainable solutions to the region's most pressing challenges, and commemorate 45 years of US-Asean relations," the statement by White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
"It will build on President Biden's participation in the October 2021 US-Asean Summit, where the President announced US$102 million (S$138.5 million) in new initiatives to expand our engagement with Asean on Covid-19 recovery and health security, fighting the climate crisis, stimulating broad-based economic growth, promoting gender equality, and deepening people-to-people ties," it added.
Ms Psaki said the Biden-Harris administration has as a top priority "to serve as a strong, reliable partner in South-east Asia".
"Our shared aspirations for the region will continue to underpin our common commitment to advance an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, secure, connected, and resilient," she said.
The Straits Times (Singapore)
Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily, Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia, Dawn (Pakistan), The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).