The Biden administration has announced it will invest $150mn in south-east Asian countries in an effort to boost economic engagement in the region as part of its strategy to counter China.
The White House announced a range of initiatives in areas such as climate change, infrastructure and maritime security as US president Joe Biden prepared to hold a meeting with the leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in the organisation’s first summit in Washington in its 55-year history.
The new package comes seven months after Biden promised Asean leaders that he would provide up to $102mn in investments for countries in south-east Asia.