Biden, VP Harris go to ASEAN to attend G20 summit in India

Aug 22 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will visit India from September 7-10 for a 20-nation summit, while Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Jakarta to attend the September 4-7 Southeast Asian Leaders’ Summit. The White House said Tuesday.

White House National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan announced the trips while hosting a summit of the BRICS group of major emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in Johannesburg.

The camp was founded in 2009 to give its members a platform to challenge the world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies, a notion Sullivan opposed when he announced the trips.

„The president will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the G20 as the premier forum for economic cooperation worldwide, including the U.S. hosting of the G20 in 2026,” he told reporters on a conference call.

Reuters exclusively reported that he is unlikely to attend the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Jakarta on August 9, citing several diplomats who said it would be a significant disappointment if Biden did not go.

Asked about criticism that Biden’s absence could raise questions about America’s commitment to a region facing China’s expanding influence, Sullivan argued that American engagement with the Asia-Pacific is pronounced from 2021.

„I would put our track record and record of engagement against any US president (and) any other country in the world in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said, citing meetings held or attended by Biden, including last weekend’s trilateral summit. South Korea and Japan Camp David.

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