US President Joe Biden has announced he's nominating one of his top national security aides as ambassador to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), aiming to underscore his administration's commitment to the Pacific region.
Mr Biden announced his decision to nominate Yohannes Abraham, chief of staff to the White House National Security Council, to serve as the US representative to the 10-country bloc as he wrapped up talks with leaders of ASEAN, who gathered in Washington for a two-day "special summit".
Mr Biden's efforts to put greater emphasis on the Pacific region have been overtaken in recent months by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With his nomination of an ambassador to ASEAN — the US is currently represented by a chargé d’affaires — the President sought to send the message that he's serious about recalibrating American foreign policy to have greater focus on Asia and to strengthen the US role as a counterweight to China's rapid rise in the region.
Mr Biden described Mr Abraham as one of his closest advisers.
"I'm a little concerned to send him because he knows how I think. He knows so much about me," Mr Biden joked with the ASEAN leaders about Mr Abraham.
Mr Abraham's nomination, which requires Senate confirmation, came after the White House announced on Thursday that the United States would commit more than $150 million for new projects to bolster South-East Asia’s climate, maritime and public health infrastructure.
China's naval threat
Earlier on Friday, Vice-President Kamala Harris met with the ASEAN leaders and underscored that "the United States and ASEAN have shared a vision for this region, and together will guard against threats to international rules and norms".
That comment, during a session that focused in part on freedom of the seas, appeared to reference China's increasingly aggressive military actions in the South China Sea and beyond.
China has stepped up its military presence in the South China Sea in recent years, as well as the East China Sea, where a dispute about uninhabited islets administered by Japan but claimed by China has been a long-simmering issue.
This week, Australian Defence Forces tracked what was dubbed a Chinese spy ship along the West coast of Australia.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton described the situation as unprecedented, adding the ship was on a mission "to collect intelligence right along the coastline".
Ms Harris said: "We stand with our allies and partners in defending the maritime rules-based order, which includes freedom of navigation and international law."
Mr Biden has increased attention to improving relations with Pacific nations in his presidency, as he and top national security officials have made clear they see a rising China as the most threatening economic and national security adversary to the United States.
Mr Biden in his remarks to the leaders at the State Department said that strengthening the US relationship with ASEAN is "at the very heart" of his foreign policy strategy.
“An Indo-Pacific that is free and open, stable and prosperous, and resilient and secure is what we're all seeking," Mr Biden said.
The ASEAN nations whose leaders attended the summit are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The top leaders from ASEAN member Myanmar were barred, while outgoing Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte dispatched Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr to represent his government.
The summit came just before Mr Biden’s trip next week to South Korea and Japan his first visit to Asia as President.
He'll hold talks with those two countries' leaders and also meet during the trip with leaders from the Indo-Pacific strategic alliance known as the Quad, made up of Australia, India and Japan in addition to the US.
Ms Harris told the ASEAN leaders the Biden administration "recognises the vital strategic importance" of the bloc.
She said: "The United States will be present and continue to be engaged in South-East Asia for generations to come."
ABC/wires
