Simon Lewis and David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON (Reuters] -The U.S. President Joe Biden needs to spend more time in Washington with Southeast Asian leaders next week if he wants to strengthen U.S. ties. This is where China holds significant sway. A senior Cambodian official spoke out on Friday.

Biden is not scheduled to meet the regional leaders in an individual meeting. Instead, the ASEAN 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations meets with Kao Kim Hourn as a group for talks. This will be on May 12, and 13.

The ASEAN rotating chair is held by Cambodia and eight other leaders including Hun Sen are scheduled to attend the summit. A coup attempt in Myanmar last year led to the exclusion of Myanmar’s leader. The Philippines will transition following an election.

Kao Kim Hourn, an ASEAN leader told Reuters during an interview that they “should be treated respectfully and equal” and have the opportunity to spend “useful” time with Biden.

He said that the United States, as a country large, should show more generosity to guests and leaders traveling to Washington. This is especially true since (Biden’s) going to be discussing elevating the strategic partner to a comprehensive strategic alliance.” He was referring to an ASEAN step to increase the engagement level between Washington and ASEAN.

Kao Kimhourn stated that he believes it is a normal practice for ASEAN chairs to meet the leaders of host countries, “either formally or informally, in order to have some kind of dialogue.”

Patrick Murphy, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia told him that there was no bilateral meeting scheduled because the summit would take too much time and Biden was “busy.”

While the White House has not yet responded to an inquiry about Kao Himhourn’s comments, Jen Pskai White House press secretary stated that Biden would host a White House dinner Thursday for ASEAN leaders and take part in a summit with them on Friday at the State Department.

She said the summit would “recognize ASEAN’s central role in delivering sustainable solutions to the region’s most pressing challenges and commemorate 45 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations.”

The summit will mark the inaugural ASEAN leader summit in Washington. This is also Hun Sen’s first White House visit. Hun has ruled Cambodia for 35 years and has received frequent criticism from Americans for suppressing dissident voices and jailing those who disagree with him.

Kao Kimhourn stated that Cambodia has strong economic ties with China and would not choose sides between Washington and Beijing and that U.S. investments in Cambodia were growing.

He said that ASEAN also works with China and the United States under its “inclusiveness” principle.

Diplomats and analysts agree that ASEAN nations are eager to strengthen ties with America, but they have felt frustrated at the United States’ inability to outline plans for economic engagement following Trump’s withdrawal from a regional trade agreement.

Kao Kimhourn claimed that Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is still in its infancy and Washington was now focusing on domestic matters and the Ukraine crisis.

He said that IPEF was complex and still under our control. We are aware that the United States has many competing priorities.

Kao Kimhourn indicated that Biden would definitely discuss the South China Sea with him, since ASEAN members hold competing claims against China.

Biden is likely to press ASEAN for more support in his diplomatic and economic isolation of Russia following its invasion Ukraine.

Kao Kim Hourn claimed that each ASEAN member had a different position on the conflict. Any collective ASEAN position should be “consensus based.”