Office of the Spokesperson
Counselor Derek Chollet and an interagency delegation from the State Department, the National Security Council, U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and the U.S. Agency for International Development will travel to Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia from October 17 to October 22 to expand cooperation with key allies and partners in Southeast Asia, reinforce ASEAN centrality and the role ASEAN plays in regional stability, and address the crisis in Burma.
The Counselor and the delegation will discuss opportunities to deepen U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia and work closely with ASEAN and its members to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the region, including a strong post-COVID-19 economic recovery, combatting climate change and the U.S. commitment to the rules-based international order, building on Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent trip to Southeast Asia. They will reiterate the United States’ commitment to the people of Burma and underscore that the international community, including neighboring countries, has an urgent responsibility to pressure the military regime to cease violence, release political prisoners, and restore Burma to the path of democracy. They will further discuss implementation of the ASEAN Five Point Consensus. In Thailand, Counselor Chollet and the team will also discuss cooperation on cross-border humanitarian aid at the Thailand-Burma border.