President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a $100 million initiative meant to beef up the U.S. relationship with the organization of Southeast Asian nations.
Biden made the new spending announcement at a virtual summit with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It marked the first time since 2017, when President Donald Trump participated in the summit, that a U.S. president took part in a meeting of the bloc.
The engagement comes as Biden is looking to strengthen the U.S. presence in the Pacific in the face of China’s growth as a national security and economic adversary.
