JAKARTA— US Secretary of State Blincol started his first visit to Southeast Asia after taking office this week. Brinken explained the US Indo-Pacific strategy in Jakarta on Tuesday (December 14, 2021) local time, Indonesia, and strengthened the strategic partnership between the US and the Indo-Pacific region. The chief US diplomat also said that the United States is determined to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and various diplomatic measures are aimed at preventing conflicts from breaking out.
The Biden administration is preparing to promote a new Indo-Pacific economic framework. Secretary of State Brinken emphasized in a speech in Jakarta that the United States is committed to enhancing cooperation and partnership with the Indo-Pacific region.
Brinken said: “We are investing more than US$1 billion in the Indo-Pacific region through our Indo-Pacific Transparency Initiative to support the work of anti-corruption organizations, investigative journalists, and think tanks. A reliable and secure Internet promotes freedom and openness. Some governments in the region are taking measures to make the Internet more closed, more fragmented, and less secure.”
After meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday, Brinken met with Indonesian Foreign Minister Leitno on Tuesday, and the two sides signed a memorandum of cooperation. US officials said that Indonesia is the world’s third largest democracy, and the strategic partnership between the United States and Indonesia is based on many shared core values. During Brinken’s visit, officials from the United States and Indonesia discussed how to strengthen bilateral cooperation to jointly deal with the challenges of democracy and human rights, as well as the climate change crisis and the new crown virus pandemic.
Some analysts believe that Southeast Asia has become a strategic competition area between the two largest and second largest economies in the world, the United States and China. Some U.S. experts believe that the U.S. needs to increase its strategic focus and economic investment to counter the challenges China poses to the international order in Southeast Asia.
In his speech on Tuesday, Brinken directly mentioned China’s economic coercion in the Indo-Pacific region and its coercive behavior in the South China Sea. He said: “We are working with allies and partners in the United States to ensure that the region remains open and accessible to everyone. We are determined to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, which is why the Taiwan Strait is peaceful and stable. , Has a lasting interest for us….. What we have done is not to cause conflict, but to prevent conflict. Diplomacy will continue to be our first priority tool in fulfilling this responsibility, in order to reduce, control and ultimately prevent the Asia-Pacific region The possibility of conflict.”
After his trip to Indonesia, Brinken will visit Malaysia and Thailand.
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