Heading to Asia, Blinken aims to shore up Indo-Pacific ties and stress US commitment to the region

AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Asia this week on an eight-day trip aimed at shoring up ties with Indo-Pacific allies and partners but with the priority of assuring them that the United States remains committed to the region. The State Department announced Monday that Blinken will travel to Vietnam, Laos, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia for a series of international and bilateral meetings. Those will include discussions in Laos with his Chinese counterpart and strategic and security talks in Tokyo and Manila also involving Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The trip had been scheduled well before President Joe Biden’s announcement Sunday that he was withdrawing from the presidential race.