Biden Tries To Attract The Southeast Asian Nations Leaders

On Thursday, President Joe Biden welcomed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders to the White House for a two-day summit, which intends to approve projects that counter the Chinese influence in the region.

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The meeting, which covers debates on trade, human rights and climate change, is part of Biden’s foreign policy team campaign to show that U.S. still prioritizes Asia despite its focus on repelling Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

At this Summit, the Biden administration is expected to approve a US$150 million support for clean energy and maritime security projects in ASEAN countries. This sum is modest compared with the US$40 billion military aid granted for Ukraine and with the billions invested into the region by China, which has surpassed the U.S. as the ASEAN largest trading partner.

The White House said that it will destinate US$60 million out of the allocation for the maritime projects, which will comprise the deployment of a Coast Guard cutter and personnel to fight crimes on the sea, such as illegal fishing.

Other US$40 million will be allocated for prompting clean energy usage in Southeast Asia. Biden said that U.S. officials are working with the ASEAN country's private sector to raise another US$2 billion for this project.

Another initiative —launched as Biden separately held a virtual summit on coronavirus— includes a project to test for emerging respiratory diseases in urban Southeast Asia through a new office in Hanoi of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Next week, Biden will travel to Japan, where he will also held a summit with the leaders Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), a strategic forum between Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S., to counter Chinese economic might.