U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington isn't asking any Asian nation to take sides in its engagement with the region, where China is battling for influence and aggressively expanding territorial claims in the South China Sea.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, shakes hands with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Binh Minh as ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi, right, looks on, ahead of the ministerial meeting between Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers' and the U.S. in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Aug 1, 2019.
U.S.-China rivalry fueled by their trade disputes has put the 10-member bloc in a tight spot and the new framework is aimed at finding a middle ground to keep on the good side of both Washington and Beijing. Beijing attempts to project its influence globally through its “Belt and Road” initiative, an ambitious development program of major infrastructure projects, while Washington is promoting its own vision strategy for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, which Beijing regards as directed against it.
Pompeo’s comments Thursday came a day after China warned outside nations against any attempt to sow discord between Beijing and ASEAN countries by playing up disputes over the South China Sea. Wang told reporters Thursday after talks with Pompeo on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings that they both exchanged views on how to advance bilateral ties “defined by coordination, cooperation and stability.”
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