Cambodia: US President Mr. Joe Biden has arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for a series of summits and discussions between the US and leaders of Southeast Asian countries.
The weekend of discussions in Cambodia comes before the much-awaited Group of 20 summits next week in Indonesia, where Mr. Biden will have his first in-person encounter with Chinese leader Mr. Xi Jinping since he took office.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gatherings and the East Asia Summit on 13th November, both of which are taking place in Phnom Penh, will give the President the opportunity to engage with US allies before meeting with Mr. Xi. However, The US President will have a one-on-one discussion with Cambodian Prime Minister Mr. Hun Sen in an effort to build on a summit between Mr. Biden and ASEAN leaders in Washington earlier this year.
According to national security adviser Mr. Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden “was intent on elevating our engagement in the Indo-Pacific” from the beginning of his presidency and his attendance at the ASEAN and East Asia summits this weekend will highlight his work thus far, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework announced earlier this year and security partnership efforts.
He’s coming into this set of summits with that record of accomplishment and purpose behind him, and he wants to be able to use the next 36 hours to build on that foundation to take American engagement forward, and also to deliver a series of concrete, practical initiatives.
Mr. Sullivan revealed
The US President’s journey is overshadowed by four major global threats; the Russian invasion of Ukraine, rising tensions with China, the existential issue of climate change, and the likelihood of a global recession in the near future. There will also be other flashpoints, such as North Korea’s escalating provocations and the unpredictability surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.
Moreover, following many nuclear tests by North Korea, Mr. Biden will meet with the leaders of Japan and South Korea while in Phnom Penh, Mr. Sullivan mentioned. Given the long-standing hostilities between Japan and South Korea and the fact that Mr. Biden has worked to mend relations between the two steadfast US allies, the meeting is noteworthy.
Mr. Sullivan also shared that the meeting, which is scheduled to take place in conjunction with the G-20 summit, is the first of a series of interactions between the leaders and their staff and was the result of “many weeks of intensive” conversations between the two sides.