Despite many global challenges, the United States “remains squarely focused on the Indo-Pacific region,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, after a recent trip to Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Brunei.
Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink said his trip demonstrated U.S. commitment to advancing our overall Indo-Pacific strategy: supporting “a region that’s free and open, connected prosperous secure and resilient.” The top priority, he said, “remains in investing in the collective capacity of our allies, partners, and friends.”
In Singapore, Secretary Kritenbrink cohosted the sixth U.S.-Singapore Strategic partnership:
“We reaffirmed our nations’ wide-ranging partnership on defense and security, economic cooperation, critical and emerging technology, and climate and energy.”
In Phnom Penh, the United States and Cambodia discussed ways to deepen their relationship and also addressed issues of concern.
“On the positive side, that includes our cooperation on DPRK UN sanctions enforcement, condemning Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine, and other cooperative areas, including related to law enforcement,” said Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink. “We also addressed candidly other areas, including areas of difference related to issues such as human rights, trafficking in persons, and creating space for free and independent media.”
In Thailand, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink said he reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to advancing bilateral cooperation across a range of areas, including economic growth, climate change, global health, security cooperation, and people- to-people ties, and he also discussed shared concerns over the situation in Burma.
In Hanoi, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink participated in the Asia-Pacific Dialogue:
“During the dialogue with my counterpart Vice Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu, we further deepened our relationship and found new ways to facilitate our shared vision for, again, a prosperous, open, resilient, and peaceful region. We also discussed the need to maintain peace, stability, and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea in the face of rising challenges there.”
In his first visit to Brunei, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink said he had the opportunity to reaffirm the enduring ties between our two countries.
“The Indo-Pacific is the region where much of the history of the 21st century will be written,” said Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink. “I was incredibly gratified by the close strategic alignment between the United States and our partners in the region in tackling our shared priorities together.”
