President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced up to $102 million in new iniatives meant to bolster the United States' relationship with the organization of Southeast Asian nations.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced up to $102 million in new iniatives meant to bolster the United States' relationship with the organization of Southeast Asian nations

  • Biden, at the meeting, "reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to strengthening our partnership with ASEAN as well as to its centrality and applauded the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific," calling the relationship with the 10-member bloc "essential"

  • The new funding will include money to support the region's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, address the climate crisis, promote economic growth and develop human capital, according to the White House

  • Biden touted the United States' commitment in ending the COVID-19 pandemic, including making more than 40 million vaccine doses and more than $200 million in emergency health and humanitarian assistance available to ASEAN member nations to combat the coronavirus

Biden made the new spending announcement at a virtual summit with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It marked the first time since 2017, when President Donald Trump participated in the summit, that a U.S. president took part in a meeting of the bloc.

Biden, at the meeting, "reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to strengthening our partnership with ASEAN as well as to its centrality and applauded the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific," according to a White House readout of the meeting.

Biden called the U.S. relationship with the bloc “essential.”

"The United States is committed to ASEAN’s centrality," Biden said, calling the partnership "a linchpin."

"It's a linchpin for maintaining the resilience, the prosperity, and security of our shared region," he added.

“I want you all to hear directly from me the importance the United States places on its relationship with ASEAN,” Biden said. “You can expect to see me showing up and reaching out to you.”

"You can expect to see the United States deepening our longstanding cooperation, pursuing new avenues of ministerial dialogue, investing in our countries, and driving inclusive prosperity in this critical region," Biden continued.

The engagement comes as Biden is looking to strengthen the U.S. presence in the Pacific in the face of China’s growth as a national security and economic adversary.

Biden "underscored the enduring commitment of the United States to the region and pledged to deepen our cooperation to take on the challenges of our time, which includes working with our allies and partners to defend against threats to the international rules-based order and to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific."

The new funding will include money to support the region's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, address the climate crisis, promote economic growth and develop human capital, according to the White House.

Biden touted the United States' commitment in ending the COVID-19 pandemic, including making more than 40 million vaccine doses and more than $200 million in emergency health and humanitarian assistance available to ASEAN member nations to combat the coronavirus.

"Additionally," the White House noted, the president "underlined the importance of the strategic partnership between the United States and ASEAN, highlighting new efforts to expand high-level U.S.-ASEAN cooperation in health, climate, energy, transportation, and gender empowerment."

Biden "urged bold action to strengthen health systems and health security, mitigate the climate crisis and reaffirmed U.S. support to build back better and drive a green recovery."

The president also expressed "grave concerns" about the military coup in Myanmar from earlier this year and urged "the country's military regime to immediately end the violence, release those unjustly detained, and restore Burma’s path to democracy" while applauding ASEAN efforts to hold the military regime to account.

"I want you to know I’m looking forward to working with you to advance not only our many shared interests, but our shared values and shared vision for a region where every country can compete and succeed on a level playing field and all nations, no matter how big or powerful, abide by the law," Biden said to the group.