The first visit to Southeast Asia by a top member of the Biden administration would demonstrate the importance it places on the region and on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an essential part of the Indo-Pacific architecture, Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington, D.C., June 17, 2021.

"This trip will underscore the enduring U.S. commitment to the region, and our interest in upholding the rules-based international order in the region and promoting ASEAN centrality."

There is no specific timeline yet for his visit to Vietnam but he "will meet with key leaders to reaffirm defense relationships and conduct bilateral meetings with senior officials."

In Singapore, he will speak at an event hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

At the Special ASEAN - U.S. Foreign Ministerial Meeting held virtually on July 14 and chaired by Lao Foreign Minister Saleumsay Kommasith and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the two sides emphasized the importance of peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea.

The two sides also expect to soon have an effective Code of Conduct in the sea in accordance with international laws and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that respects the legitimate rights and interests of all related parties.

Leaders of Vietnam, ROK vow to deepen relations

Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea (ROK) agreed to deepen relations between political parties, legislatures and young people of the two countries during their talks on the phone on July 15.

Armies’ successful ties help reinforce Vietnam-China relations: President

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received the visiting Chinese State Councillor and Minister of National Defence, Sen. Lt. Gen. Wei Fenghe, in Hanoi on April 26.

Bac Giang urged to grasp labor relations, improve quality of human resources

BGO - On the afternoon of January 19, a delegation of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLOSA) led by Deputy Minister Le Van Thanh had a working session with the provincial People's Committee on labor market situation, employment and labor relations in the province.

Source: VnExpress