Biden to attend G-20 summit in India, V-P Harris goes to Asean

WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden will visit India from Sept 7 to 10 for a summit of the Group of 20 (G-20) nations while Vice-President Kamala Harris will head to Jakarta from Sept 4 to 7 to attend summits of South-east Asian leaders, the White House said on Tuesday.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced the trips as the Brics group of major emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa –

held a summit in Johannesburg.

That

bloc was founded in 2009

to provide a platform for its members to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies, a notion resisted by Mr Sullivan as he announced the trips.

“The president will also reaffirm the US commitment to the G-20 as the premier forum of economic cooperation globally, including by committing to the US hosting the G-20 in 2026,” he told reporters on a conference call.

Reuters reported exclusively on Aug 9 that Mr Biden was unlikely to attend summits of the 10-nation Asean in Jakarta, citing several diplomats saying it would be a significant disappointment if Mr Biden did not go.

Asked about criticism that Mr Biden’s absence would raise questions about US commitment to a region facing China’s expanding influence, Mr Sullivan argued that US engagement with the Asia-Pacific has been pronounced since 2021.

“I would put our record of achievement and engagement in the Indo-Pacific up against any American president (and) any other country in the world,” he said, citing a string of meetings that Mr Biden has hosted or attended, including last weekend’s trilateral summit with South Korea and Japan at Camp David. REUTERS