America’s top diplomat visiting Asia to stress US commitment to the region amid uncertainty over US election
Asked what Mr Blinken will say to allies about Mr Biden’s decision to step aside and whether it could bring changes in policy, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said the message would be that America is “all-in on the Indo-Pacific”.
“We do try to reassure allies and partners that there are certain fundamentals, I think, about America’s engagement that are not going to change, that have been consistent,” he told reporters on Monday (Jul 22).
These include US$2 trillion in trade between the United States and the Indo-Pacific region annually, and nearly a trillion dollars of regional investment, he noted.
“There is strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for our allies and partners and our approach to the region.”
Mr Trump, who has been leading in the polls ahead of the Nov 5 election, launched a trade war against China while in the White House from 2017 to 2021. He has suggested he would impose tariffs of 60 per cent or higher on all Chinese goods, if he becomes president again.
Days ago, he said Taiwan should pay the US for defending it from China, which sees the self-governed island as part of its territory to be unified with the mainland. Allies of the former president have assured Japan and South Korea he would continue Mr Biden’s engagement with them aimed at countering China and North Korea.
POSSIBLE MEETING WITH WANG YI
Mr Blinken’s first stop is expected to be Vietnam to attend the funeral of Nguyen Phu Trong, who was general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party and the country’s most powerful politician.
Trong led Vietnam for more than a decade overseeing rapid economic growth and, more recently, trod a fine line in elevating ties with both China and the US with his “bamboo diplomacy”. He died of old age and illness last Friday (Jul 19) at age 80.
In Laos, Mr Blinken will attend ASEAN-related meetings on Friday and Saturday, where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are also expected.
A North Korean official would also likely be in attendance, Mr Kritenbrink said.
While there, officials are expected to discuss the conflict in Myanmar after the military seized power three years ago. The US expects Myanmar to be represented by a non-political official as it has been at previous meetings since the coup, Mr Kritenbrink said.
Asked if Mr Blinken would have a meeting with Mr Wang, Mr Kritenbrink would only say “we do anticipate that he’ll have an opportunity to engage with Wang Yi”.
