After participating in the Climate Summit in Egypt (COP27), US President Joe Biden arrived in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to participate in the Summit of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), before heading to Indonesia to attend the G20 Summit.

Cambodia hosts the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a parallel summit of East Asian countries, with the regional bloc reaching out to a group of leaders.

The ASEAN summit is expected to focus on the Russia-Ukraine war, Chinese military activities in the disputed waters and the unrest in Myanmar after the military coup.

While participating in the summit and meeting with ASEAN leaders, Biden is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with the leaders of Cambodia, Japan and South Korea.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Yoon Sok-yeol met with ASEAN leaders on Friday.

Washington is seeking to enhance cooperation with the 10 member states of the ASEAN Association, as it seeks to counter the growing influence of China in the Asia-Pacific region.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden will discuss with ASEAN leaders the need for freedom of navigation and ensure that the United States plays a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability in the region.

He added that the US president would also take the ASEAN opportunity to discuss how to coordinate more closely to continue imposing costs and increase pressure on Myanmar's military junta.

He will also discuss with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts during the ASEAN summit what Sullivan described as North Korea's missile and nuclear threats.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend some meetings while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is also in Cambodia after signing the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation with ASEAN as Kyiv seeks to strengthen ties with the bloc.

On the other hand, some analysts have played down expectations of any major developments from Biden's presence in ASEAN meetings, but noted that it provides more evidence on how the United States can return to "normal diplomacy."

"President Trump has not attended a single East Asian summit during his four years in office," said Greg Pauling, head of the Southeast Asia Program at the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Pauling noted that one of the outcomes of Biden's trip will be to elevate the US-ASEAN partnership into a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Biden arrived in Cambodia from Egypt after his participation in the climate summit (Reuters)

Meet the Chinese President

Biden's arrival in Cambodia comes after a short visit to Egypt to attend the United Nations Climate Summit (COP27).

After participating in the ASEAN summit, Biden will travel to the Indonesian island of Bali to attend the G-20 summit next Tuesday and Wednesday.

In this regard, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that Biden will raise the issue of North Korea during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of that summit when they meet for the first time.

Speaking on Air Force One as it headed to Cambodia, Sullivan said Biden would not apply to China but would give his "view" to Xi Jinping.

This view is that "North Korea poses a threat not only to the United States, not only to South Korea and Japan, but also to peace and stability throughout the region."

He added that China "has an interest in playing a constructive role in curbing North Korea's worst tendencies," noting that the US President will tell his Chinese counterpart that if Pyongyang continues on its path, this means a more American military presence in the region, and indicated that the meeting of the two presidents face to face will allow clarifying positions and enhance understanding.

For its part, China expressed its hope to meet with the United States halfway;

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian expressed the hope that the differences between the two sides would be properly managed, to avoid miscalculation, as he put it.

Biden and Xi, the heads of the world's two largest economies, have spoken by phone repeatedly since the Democrat became president in January 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic and Xi's reluctance to travel abroad hampered their in-person meeting.

Guterres appeals to Myanmar

In another context, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called - today, Saturday, from Phnom Penh, where Southeast Asian leaders met - the Myanmar military council to "return to the path of democratic transformation immediately."

Guterres described the situation as an "endless nightmare" in Myanmar, which has been witnessing since the February 2021 coup a bloody conflict for which a peaceful solution has not yet been reached.

"I urge the Myanmar authorities to listen to their people, release political prisoners and immediately return to the path of democratic transition. This is the only way to stability and peace," Guterres told reporters.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), meeting in Cambodia on Friday, agreed to "involve" opposition groups in the Myanmar peace process.

However, their announcement angered Naypyidaw, which "condemned" their decision to negotiate with "illegal and terrorist organizations", as it described it.