Secretary of State Antony Blinken will help strengthen U.S. ties in East Asia during a pair of summits with leaders from the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asian regions.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will represent the United States at summits with Asian leaders in Laos this week and expects to discuss human rights in Myanmar, China's "irresponsible" behavior in the South China Sea and Ukraine,

The United States insisted Tuesday it was fully engaged on Asia as President Joe Biden skips the East Asia Summit for the second straight year, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken going instead. "While President Biden will not attend the ASEAN leaders' summit this year,

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend annual gatherings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos this week, a senior U.S. diplomat said Tuesday, reaffirming the Biden administration's "crystal clear" and "unmistakable" commitment to the Indo-Pacific region.