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Opinion | Biden must emphasise Washington’s commitment to Asean and the bloc’s importance to US foreign policy at summit
- US needs to explain why Asean needs America and how the bloc factors into its Indo-Pacific plan without asking the group to disregard China’s regional interests
- Asean is seeking to open up Southeast Asia such that the US can maintain a larger regional footprint to balance China’s relentless influence
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US President Joe Biden’s meeting with Southeast Asian leaders in the days ahead herald fresh optimism for US-Asean relations. But the extent of any progress and the future of engagement fundamentally depends on whether both sides will be able to move closer on long-standing, unresolved commitments.
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Washington will host the US-Asean Special Summit on May 12-13 to examine opportunities to revitalise cooperation in critical areas of non-traditional security. That includes the response to Covid-19 and global health security; economic recovery; connectivity; human resource development and sustainability; climate change; as well as traditional security issues of common interest and concern, such as the South China Sea, maritime security, and the situation in Myanmar.
The special summit is seen as an opportune time for both sides to identify the key issues that will redefine the future US-Asean relationship. Both sides must reassure each other of mutual trust and closer collaboration to effectively address the emerging concerns from the shifting geopolitical environment.
The Biden administration is expected to express Washington’s keen commitment to Asean. Likewise, Asean leaders are looking forward to a productive summit where a cohesive and resilient Asean is able to inject more vigour into America’s regional strategy.
There is no question that Asean is seeking to open up Southeast Asia such that the US can maintain a larger regional footprint to balance China’s relentless influence.
Asean also looks to the US to be a reliable economic partner and is eager for more details of Washington’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. In order for the special summit to succeed, the US and Asean need to pay attention to the following issues.
For the US, the Biden administration must articulate convincingly its foreign policy toward Asean and reassure the regional bloc of its firm commitment to Asean’s central role in the American vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
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