Top US diplomat for Asia to visit Malaysia and three other ASEAN countries

Daniel Kritenbrink, (pic) the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, will be in the region from Saturday until Dec. 4, a State Department statement said.

WASHINGTON: The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia will visit Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand from the weekend after President Joe Biden pledged stepped up engagement with Southeast Asia, a key battleground in his contest for influence with China.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, will be in the region from Saturday until Dec. 4, a State Department statement said.