US State Secretary Antony Blinken is set to embark on a ten days trip to South Africa and Southeast Asia amid escalating intricacies in Europe and China. According to the US State Department, Blinken will be on travel from August 2 to August 12, visiting Congo, Rwanda, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
.@SecBlinken will travel to Cambodia, the Philippines, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda August 2-12. https://t.co/tzdCesFAfO — Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) July 29, 2022
Blinken’s travel itinerary:
US State Secretary to attend the ASEAN Summit
According to the press release by US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, beginning August 3, Blinken will travel to the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh, where he will participate in the US-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. This comes as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is struggling to resolve the Myanmar crisis. Just to mention, Blinken on Friday condemned the brutal execution of 4 democracy activists in Myanmar, further affirming support for ASEAN’s ‘Five-Point Consensus.’
Blinken will also participate in the East Asia Summit Foreign Minister’s Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum. Price, in this statement, underlined that the US State Secretary will outline Washington’s commitment to ASEAN centrality and successful implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Further, the top US diplomat will also deliberate on COVID-19 recovery, economic cooperation, climate change, and the overarching issue of the Russian war in Ukraine. Blinken will also engage in a bilateral meeting with Cambodian PM Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn to discuss U.S. support for ASEAN and efforts to strengthen our bilateral relationship with Cambodia.
Blinken will reach Manila on August 6 where will meet Philippines’ President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. to discuss the US-Philippines alliance through increased cooperation in trade, and energy.
Blinken to launch US Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa in August
Blinken is expected to reach South Africa on August 7, where he will launch the US Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. “This reinforces the U.S. view that African countries are geostrategic players and critical partners on the most pressing issues of our day, from promoting an open and stable international system to tackling the effects of climate change, food insecurity, and global pandemics, to shaping our technological and economic futures,” Price said. He will also meet the top officials in Congo and Rwanda to discuss shares priorities and promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
(Image: AP)