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VOA Asia: US-ASEAN Summit Day 2 (Jessica Stone) May 13, 2022
May 13, 2022
CategoryVOA ASIA Affiliates
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptThe US ASEAN Summit is concluding in Washington, Friday. Nine representatives from 10 ASEAN member states are attending. They dined with President Joe Biden Thursday evening, ahead of a full day of meetings at the U.S. State Department. VOA Correspondent, Jessica Stone has this report from the White House.
ASEAN LEADERS SPENT FRIDAY - MEETING WITH SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN AND HOLDING A SERIES OF ONE-ON-ONES WITH US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN.
((TAKE FAMILY PHOTO AT THE WHITE HOUSE))
TOPICS RANGE FROM HEALTHCARE AND COOPERATION ON COVID VACCINATIONS TO INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND COMBATTING CLIMATE CHANGE. WASHINGTON HAS ANNOUNCED 150 MILLION DOLLARS N INITIATIVES TO ASSIST THE REGION ON THESE ISSUES.
((MYANAMAR PROTESTS))
ALL MEETINGS WILL FEATURE AN EMPTY CHAIR WHERE MYANMAR’S LEGITIMATELY ELECTED CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEATED.
ASEAN DID NOT OFFER AN INVITATION TO MYANMAR’S CURRENT RULING JUNTA LEADER.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND ASEAN LEADERS AGREED TO DO THIS AS A WAY TO PROTEST THE
MILITARY COUP WHICH OVERTHREW THE CIVILIAN MYANMAR GOVERNMENT IN 2021
((BROLL 3 MYANMAR JUNTA))
WASHINGTON DOES NOT TAKE THE POSITION THAT THIS IS AN ASEAN PROBLEM.
BUT IT DOES SUPPORT ASEAN’S ROLE IN CREATING A PATH FOR THE JUNTA TO GET BACK ON A DEMOCRATIC TRACK
I WOULD NOTE THAT DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE WENDY SHERMAN MET WITH MYANMAR’S OPPOSITION ON THURSDAY
((HUN SEN ARRIVES AT THE CAPITOL))
STILL HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS HAVE CRITICIZED THIS ADMINISTRATION FOR ALLOWING THE LEADER OF CAMBODIA - HUN SEN - AND OTHERS ACCUSED OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS TO ENTER THE WHITE HOUSE AT ALL.
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS SAY PRESIDENT BIDEN WILL CALL OUT THE ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS DURING THE SUMMIT.
((TRADE VO))
ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT - WE ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THIS SUMMIT.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S INDO-PACIFIC ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN JAPAN LATER THIS MONTH WHEN PRESIDENT BIDEN TRAVELS TO THE REGION.
THAT’S BECAUSE IT GOES BEYOND ASEAN NATIONS AND INCLUDES JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND AUSTRALIA.
THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE US RESPONSE TO THE REGIONAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS SUCH AS THE CHINA-LED RCEP OR REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP.
// Kurt Campbell; U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategic Advisor
Kurt Campbell, U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategic Advisor: “I would say there’s substantial interest across SE Asia in IPEF. I think there are a lot of questions.”
//Greg Poling/CSIS
Greg Poling: “And they’re going to be disappointed. The administration is doing as much as it can around that issue because it feels like it doesn’t have the political capital to tackle trade and economic rulemaking.”
((JESSICA))
THE SUMMIT WILL END WITH A PLENARY SESSION AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT. ALL ARE EXPECTED TO AGREE TO A VISION STATEMENT DEFINING THE RELATIONSHIP. NEXT WEEK, US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TRAVELS TO THE REGION, VISITING SEOUL AND TOKYO TO FURTHER TALKS TO SET OUT THE PLAN FOR US ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE INDOPACIFIC. JESSICA STONE, VOA NEWS. WASHINGTON.
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