Inaugural address by President Joe Biden at the White House|The White House|CC BY 3.0 US
President Joe Biden is hosting Southeast Asian leaders in a two-day summit that started on Thursday, pledging $150 million for their security, infrastructure, pandemic preparedness and other efforts.
Seen as a significant move by Biden—when it comes to Indo-Pacific geopolitics—the meeting is the first time ASEAN's leaders gather as a group at the White House. It is also their first meeting hosted by a US president since 2016.
Why?
Southeast Asian waters are among the most vulnerable and contested waters between the US and China. Experts say that a meeting with the representatives from Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines can be seen as the Biden administration’s way of making the US a significant player in the Indo-Pacific economy again.
What had happened?
After the US withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), China became the largest economic player in the region.
It is worth noting that China has a free trade deal with the ASEAN.
