Biden in Cambodia seeking to bolster US security role in South-East Asia

US President Joe Biden is greeted upon his arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport to attend the 2022 Asean summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday, November 12, 2022. - Reuters

PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 (Bloomberg): President Joe Biden arrived in Cambodia on Saturday, kicking off a five-day swing through Asia for a series of summits that will include his first in-person meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Biden is the first US leader since 2017 to attend the meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, during which he plans to emphasize his vision for a free and open Asia Pacific to counter China’s growing military and technological assertiveness.