Month: September 2023

Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on the margins of the U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. They welcomed the strength of the bilateral relationship. They discussed opportunities to deepen commercial and economic cooperation, as well as their shared commitment to upholding the rules-based international order. This meeting builds on President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’ bilateral meetings with President Marcos in Washington D.C. in May 2023 and the Vice President’s November 2022 trip to the Philippines. The Vice President reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad alliance commitment to the Philippines, and highlighted the role the U.S.-Philippines alliance plays in ensuring a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific. The two leadersdiscussed the maritime security environment in the South China Sea, and reviewed opportunities to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation, including alongside likeminded partners. They welcomed the identification of four additional sites…

Vice President Kamala Harris met today with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia.  The two leaders highlighted the strength of U.S.-Indonesia ties and announced their intention to elevate the U.S.-Indonesia relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. In the context of this expanded partnership, the leaders look forward to deepening cooperation on economic growth and development; energy; maritime issues; defense; global and regional issues; people-to-people contacts; the digital economy and cybersecurity; global health; and building a sustainable future. Vice President Harris congratulated Indonesia on its successful ASEAN chairmanship, and expressed support for Indonesia’s leadership in the Indo-Pacific. She reiterated the United States’ commitment to ASEAN centrality, support for Indonesia’s chair year theme – “ASEAN…

Vice President Kamala Harris today joined leaders of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) member states and Timor-Leste, as well as the ASEAN Secretary General, for the annual U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.  She reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to strengthening our partnership with ASEAN, upholding ASEAN centrality, and supporting robust implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. The Vice President commended Indonesia’s successful chairmanship of ASEAN and expressed support for Laos as it prepares to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2024. She welcomed the presence of Timor-Leste in its capacity as ASEAN observer, and pledged U.S. support for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN accession process. The Vice President reflected on the strength of…

Yesterday, President Biden and members of his national security team met with the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) to thank its members and staff for their service and to discuss the Board’s efforts to evaluate the U.S. Intelligence Community’s crucial work to protect our Nation. The President expressed his appreciation for the Board’s efforts to ensure the U.S. Intelligence Community’s authorities and activities are effective and comply with law and policy, specifically noting the Board’s recent study on the value of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the vital intelligence collection authority that will expire later this year…

The strength of U.S.-ASEAN relations is anchored in the friendship shared by our combined one billion people. Each year the United States provides more than $70 million to support educational and cultural exchanges with the people of Southeast Asia, which foster greater understanding, enhance cooperation, and create lifelong friendships that increase the long-term strength and resilience of communities across the United States and ASEAN. At the historic 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, D.C., President Biden and Vice President Harris significantly expanded the United States’ investment in educational, cultural, and people-to-people ties through new concrete commitments: Announced  doubling the size…