![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/09/06/08/SEI170059573.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp)
Watch as Indonesian president Joko Widodo holds a bilateral meeting with Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on Wednesday 6 September.
The US vice president will deepen her outreach to the region this week at the international event in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she will try to erase doubts about US commitment stirred by Joe Biden’s absence.
It is Ms Harris’ third trip to Southeast Asia and fourth to Asia overall.
John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said she has “made our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific a key part of her agenda as vice president,” and he described Ms Harris’ itinerary as “perfectly in keeping with the issues that she’s been focused on.”
The absence of Mr Biden, however, has caused some frustration, particularly because he’s already going to be in India and Vietnam around the same time.