Biden heads to South-East Asia, but his itinerary is ‘exactly backward’

Left to right, Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio arrive for a joint news conference following three-way talks at Camp David on Aug 18. The US seems to be doubling down on its efforts to build a nation-by-nation Cold War-style security bloc to counter China. — TNS

WHEN US President Joe Biden visits Vietnam after his stop at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, he is expected to upgrade the two nations’ bilateral relationship to a “strategic partnership”.

The shift will mark a significant turning for both countries. But it should not come at the cost of skipping the summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) around the same time in Indonesia. Biden’s choice to go to Hanoi – and send Vice President Kamala Harris in his place to Jakarta – is exactly backward.