By Humeyra Pamuk

JAKARTA, Reuters – U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken has arrived in Indonesia Monday to begin a trip to Southeast Asia. The purpose of the visit is strengthening ties between Washington and Beijing in a region which has been a strategic battlefield for Washington and Beijing.

After visiting Indonesia’s capital Jakarta in January, Blinken is on his first Southeast Asia visit since U.S. president Joe Biden assumed office. He will then travel to Malaysia and Thailand, and on Tuesday, he will give a speech about the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.

Southeast Asia plays a crucial role in the rivalry between China and the United States. There is intense competition for influence, as the Biden administration seeks a reconnection with a region that President Donald Trump questioned America’s commitment.

Biden will continue to pursue Biden’s goal of increasing engagement with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) bloc, and Blinken will discuss the president’s vision for an Indo-Pacific economy framework. This was according to a U.S. Diplomat for Asia.

United States and its allies in West Asia are challenging Beijing’s assertions in South China Sea. The South China Sea is the conduit for about a third global trade.

China claimed almost all of the sea for its sovereign use and rejected any interference by America.

Biden sees closer engagement as essential in its attempts to fight China’s increasing power. But Trump’s decision to withdraw from a 2017 regional trade deal has severely limited the administration’s ability to exercise economic influence. Beijing, however, has tried to increase its trade relations.

Biden’s economic plan has not been fully explained by the administration.