US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Southeast Asia. He will specifically be visiting Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. The four-day trip will also include diplomats from Australia, India, and South Korea. Also in attendance will be members from the association of Southeast Asian Nations. Blinken will arrive after meetings in the UK, as well as a trip to Cambodia. This is Blinken’s first trip there as secretary of state, so the meetings are very important for the US-Southeast Asia and Oceania territory.
This meeting is Blinken’s first to Southeast Asia. This is a very important first meeting as he represents the Biden Administration as a whole at the meeting. The meeting could have effects on national interests and alliances in the region. Alliances are especially important at this time with the looming threat of China in the region, and there interests. The US has stated they will back Thailand in defense from China, and that has major effects for all 3 countries involved. China could feel like the US is against them unified with Thailand, Thailand would have some kind of occupation whether that is from China or a US occupation, and the US has to invest money and deploy troops there then. Indonesia has a population on the rise, and discussing how to help them take care of a population that big and growing is of major importance. As for South Korea, they obviously border North Korea, who has developed nuclear weapons and is backed by China, so good relations with the US are a top priority. Relations with these countries and the US is of major importance with the emergence of China in the Southeast Asia and Oceania realm.
This is related to the topic of hegemony. The US is considered the top hegemon in the world, but China is at its heels. Relations with close and bordering countries are of utter importance therefore. The article also relates to China’s realist approach. China wants to grow in political power, global power, and increase its national interest, and it’s threatening demeanor to Thailand is one of the ways it plans to grow. The US also has national interest in South Korea, so protecting South Korea from North Korean and Chinese threats is key for defending the national and global interest South Korea has to offer.