US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will bring a message for the region when he visits the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam this week: The United States is a reliable partner, "a friend who shows up when it counts" - as Mr Austin put it to reporters last Wednesday.
His message comes not a moment too soon. Mr Austin's visit will be the first by a Cabinet secretary to South-east Asia, seven months after President Joe Biden took office. There is disquiet in the region that the US has neglected it while the region is being pulled into Beijing's orbit as a consequence of this inaction.
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