Trevor Hunnicutt. David Brunnstrom. Ain Bandial

WASHINGTON/BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden joined Southeast Asian leaders in a virtual summit. It was the first time Washington had met at the highest levels with a bloc that is crucial for countering China’s growing assertiveness.

Since Donald Trump’s 2017 ASEAN-U.S. summit in Manila, the United States hadn’t met at the president level with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. China’s relations with the United States declined at an alarming rate during this time.

Biden stated that the United States is committed to playing a central role in ASEAN’s 10-nation membership in the region. ASEAN countries can look forward to Biden personally appearing in the future.

Biden stated that the relationship between America and ASEAN was vital to the survival of the one-billion people living there. “Our partnership is crucial to maintaining a open Indo-Pacific which has been the foundation for our shared security, prosperity and well-being over many years.”

Biden will be participating in the larger East Asia Summit, which gathers ASEAN nations and others in the Indo-Pacific, one senior U.S. official stated.

Analysts think Biden’s meeting in Washington with the 10-nation group reflects his government’s effort to reach out to allies and partner countries as part of a larger pushback against China.

Biden did not mention China in his opening remarks, which is typical of U.S. officials who have been working to organize a virtual summit with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, during the course of the meeting.

According to the White House, Biden would announce that he will provide $102 million for expanding America’s strategic partnership with ASEAN. This is Brunei’s current chair. Funding would go towards climate change, education, and health programs.

Biden will also assure ASEAN of the U.S.’s recent focus on India, Japan, and Australia in so-called Quad grouping as well as a deal with Australia to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia are not meant to replace ASEAN’s regional role.

Edgard Kagan is the White House National Security Council’s senior director for East Asia. He stressed last week that Washington did not view the Quad as an Asian NATO and that the Quad was not meant to rival ASEAN.

Washington is interested in working together with ASEAN in order to improve supply chain resilience on climate and address “common problems on maritime issues”. This was an apparent reference, he said, to China’s wide-ranging claims in South China Sea.

Biden is pledging to offer a small sum of money to ASEAN to encourage trade, but he has not indicated any plans to return to the regional trade framework Trump resigned from in 2017.

According to analysts, ASEAN leaders will be eager to learn how Washington intends to expand trade and investment, and what U.S. plans are to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to this region. This is a hard-hit region by the pandemic.

Unidentified Asian diplomat spoke out to say that there was an important gap in U.S.-China relations at a time of growing economic ties.

Kagan stated that the Quad must fulfill its March pledge to provide a million COVID-19 vaccinations to Southeast Asia by 2022. This is crucial for their credibility.

This plan was halted after India (the world’s biggest vaccine producer) banned imports during a huge domestic COVID epidemic.

ASEAN meeting will be held without Min Aung Hlaing as Myanmar’s military leader. He overthrew the civilian government of Myanmar on Feb. 1, a rare departure for an organization that is known for not interfering.

Kagan called ASEAN’s decision to expel the Myanmar leader significant, but stated that more needs to be done in order to solve the country’s problems.