US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Crucial 11-Day Asia Tour Amid Election Uncertainty

The United States is facing uncertainty about its presidential election 2024 in between this environment United States diplomat Antony Blinken has started an 11-day tour of Asia today. He will visit 6-countries Vietnam, Laos, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, and Mongolia. In this meeting, he will likely meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at ASEAN-related meetings.

As per the reports, Blinken will meet regional foreign ministers at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related (ASEAN) meeting in Laos.

In Tokyo and Manila, the state secretary will engage in strategic and security talks also involving US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

This trip comes at a critical time when President Joe Biden announced that he will not run for re-election and Kamala Harris will be the Democratic nominee who will run for the presidential race.

This visit of 12-day was planned before the announcement of Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. The State Department Officials said there was no discussion of canceling or postponing the trip.

The officials said Biden is the oldest person who has occupied the Oval Office he will remain the president until his term ends on 20 Jan 2025.

Now when Blinken is traveling to APAC nations when the US can see a change in the Presidential race, a question arises, will the change impact the US-ASEAN trade?

Annually US trade amount in the Indo-Pacific region is around $2 trillion.

Let us remind you, that the other face of the US Presidential election is Republican Donald Trump. He said that he would impose tariffs of 60 percent or higher on all Chinese goods if he becomes president again.

Some days ago he said Taiwan should pay the US to defend it from China. Allies of the former president have reassured Japan and South Korea that he would maintain Mr. Biden’s efforts to engage with them in countering China and North Korea.