Biden’s decision not to engage in bilateral dialogue with any Southeast Asian leader in his first year in office is troubling. By contrast, Biden has met at the White House with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and India to emphasize the importance of the so-called "Indo-Pacific region." Interlocutors from Southeast Asian countries did not know why they did not even receive calls. Likewise, the fact that Blinken has just made his first trip to the region sends another signal that Southeast Asian countries are low on the list of priorities. In a regrettable episode, a technical glitch prevented Blinken from participating in a video meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in May, reportedly infuriating her Indonesian counterpart who refused to turn on her video. ASEAN countries are very sensitive to being ignored or marginalized. Separately, the so-called "Democracy Summit" hosted by the Biden administration in December reinforced Washington's stance on who it intends to put first. Only three ASEAN members - Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines - attended the meeting, with key US allies and partners Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam being excluded.
