Over the past four years, the U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have made their partnership stronger and more wide-ranging than ever been before, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to Laos. Indeed, President Biden last year elevated U.S.-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
This increased cooperation is helping to better the lives of our combined one billion people – creating economic opportunity, fostering technological innovation, and advancing a prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific with ASEAN at its center, declared Secretary Blinken.
“We’re strengthening the economic ties that have long brought our countries together. The United States remains the number one source of foreign direct investment in ASEAN countries. This is a meaningful measure of trust and confidence in the future. It’s also a powerful generator of jobs and opportunity.”
“Together,” added Secretary Blinken, “we’re improving monitoring infectious disease outbreaks; we’re upgrading the region’s power grids; we’re fighting cybercrime and online scams; we’re promoting safe, secure, and trustworthy artificial intelligence.”
“Advancing our shared vision also means coming together to address shared challenges to that vision,” said Secretary Blinken:
“[F]rom the deepening crisis in Myanmar, to the DPRK’s destabilizing behavior, to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, which continues to violate principles at the heart of the United Nations Charter and at the heart of ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.”
“We remain concerned about China’s increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions in the South and East China Seas, which have injured people and harmed vessels from ASEAN nations, and contradict commitments to peaceful resolution of disputes,” said Secretary Blinken:
“The United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific. We also believe it’s important to maintain our shared commitment to protect stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“[W]hether it’s responding to urgent global challenges or advancing the shared hopes of our people, the relationship between the United States and ASEAN will continue to be essential,” said Secretary Blinken. “We look forward to this partnership growing even stronger in the years to come.”
