As part of his mid-July visit of Indonesia, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with ministers from ASEAN and the region “to discuss deepening cooperation to realize our shared vision: a free, open, prosperous, secure, interconnected, and resilient Indo-Pacific.”
“That means a region where countries are free to choose their own path and their own partners; where problems are dealt with openly; where rules are reached transparently and applied fairly; where ==goods, where ideas, where people flow lawfully and freely.”
“At the heart of that approach is our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN, ASEAN centrality, and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific,” said Secretary Blinken. “Our engagement in the region is focused intensely on an affirmative agenda, on working collaboratively … on the issues that are of most concern to the citizens of all of the countries in the region and people in the United States.”
“If you look at the ASEAN agenda, when it comes to tackling the climate crisis, when it comes to advancing renewable energy, when it comes to global health, when it comes to infrastructure, when it comes to education, science and technology, the digital economy – these are all areas where we are deeply engaged with ASEAN, and that’s really the focus of what we’re doing.
At the same time, if you look at the ASEAN Outlook, and you look at our own strategy, they’re extraordinarily coincident in what we’re trying to achieve together, and that starts with a shared vision for the region: one that is free, open, secure, prosperous, connected, and resilient.”
“We remain committed to upholding freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea – a critical throughway for global commerce and connectivity,” said Secretary Blinken.
“The United States also seeks to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is in the interest of all nations. Fifty percent of global commerce goes through that strait every single day. Some 70 percent of the semiconductors made for the world are made in Taiwan. We continue to oppose unilateral changes to the status quo by either side.”
“We support ASEAN’s negotiation of a code of conduct consistent with international law,” said Secretary Blinken. “The U.S. and ASEAN will continue to champion these principles together as we tackle shared challenges and realize the promise of this extraordinarily dynamic region.”
