US President Joe Biden said at the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Phnom Penh on Sunday that he has spent more time with Chinese President Xi Jinping than any other world leader, yet warned of diplomatic limits.
Speaking during the summit on East Asia, Biden said: "We've just got to figure it out, where the red lines are and what are the most important things for each of us going into the next two years."
On Saturday, Biden announced that the US and the ASEAN member states will elevate their diplomatic ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" as the US seeks to counter China's influence in the region.
In 2021, China elevated its partnership with ASEAN to a similar status, while in a meeting with Hun Sen on Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang suggested promoting the strategic partnership between the two nations to "a higher level," according to a press release.
Biden is also expected to hold a trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday to discuss security issues in the Indo-Pacific as well as North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
ASEAN is a union of 10 South-East Asian countries which promotes diplomatic cooperation on economic, political and security issues. The union has an estimated total population of about 668 million.
