ASEAN leaders call for unity and Biden talks about "red lines" with China
Cambodian leader Hun Sen called for unity, stressing in his speech on Sunday before a summit in which Russia, China and the United States are participating, that the current tensions in the world cast a shadow over everyone.
The prime minister, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said at the opening of the summit that resolving differences peacefully is in the world's common interest.
Hun Sen expressed his hope that the leaders will adopt "the spirit of teamwork in support of open, inclusive, pragmatic pluralism and mutual respect in addressing the existential and strategic challenges we all face."
"Many current challenges and tensions have hampered our previous hard-won efforts to promote sustainable development and caused much suffering to peoples," he added in his opening speech to the summit, which is being held in parallel with the main ASEAN summit.
For his part, the US President said, today, Sunday, during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit that he spent more time with Chinese President Xi Jinping than any other world leader, but warned of diplomatic borders.
"We just have to figure out where the red lines are and what are the most important things for each of us over the next two years," Biden said in his speech to the East Asia Summit.
Biden announced today that the United States and ASEAN member states will raise diplomatic relations to the level of a "comprehensive strategic partnership", in light of Washington's efforts to counter China's influence in the region.
President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea pledged on Sunday a united and coordinated response to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and Biden declared the trilateral partnership "more important than ever" as North Korea steps up its provocations.
Biden held separate meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Then the three leaders sat together on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia.
For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States on Sunday of pushing for the militarization of Southeast Asian countries, noting that Washington was seeking to contain the influence of Beijing and Moscow in the region.
Lavrov was speaking to reporters at Phnom Penh airport after attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cambodia, and before heading to Bali to participate in the G20 summit.
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