Sharing with leaders of ASEAN countries, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken highly appreciated the importance of the ASEAN - US comprehensive strategic partnership:
"Over the past four years, the U.S. and ASEAN have made our partnership stronger and more wide-ranging than it has ever been before. President Biden was honored to host ASEAN leaders for a Special Summit in Washington for the very first time – and to elevate the U.S.-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
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| U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the 12th ASEAN-U.S. Summit in Vientiane, Laos |
Every day, our cooperation is helping to better the lives of our combined one billion people – creating economic opportunity, fostering technological innovation, advancing a shared vision of an open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific, with ASEAN at its center.
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."
Mr. Blinken said that the United States will continue to cooperate and support ASEAN in disease prevention, upgrading the region's power grids, and preventing cybercrime and online scams: "Together, 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".
He expressed his joy that the Southeast Asia Young Leaders Initiative, after 10 years of establishment, continues to develop with an increasing number of members.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned China’s recent assertive actions in the South China Sea:
"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. 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.
But whether 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. We look forward to this partnership growing even stronger in the years to come."