US hails ‘new era’ with Asean

Building ties: Biden speaking at the Special Summit with Asean leaders at the US State Department in Washington DC. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said a first summit in Washington with leaders from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) marked the launch of a “new era” in the relationship between the United States and the 10-nation bloc.

In a joint 28-point “vision statement” after a two-day meeting, the two sides took what analysts called a symbolic step of committing to raise their relationship from a strategic partnership to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” in November.