Overview

• Blinken is attending the East Asia Summit in Laos on behalf of President Biden, who will not be present.
• The summit will address strained U.S.-China relations, with China represented by Premier Li Qiang.
• Key topics include human rights in Myanmar, China's actions in the South China Sea, and the situation in Ukraine.
• Blinken's participation underscores U.S. commitment to the ASEAN region despite domestic political focus on the upcoming presidential election.
• Meetings in Laos precede Blinken's travel to Germany and Angola to join President Biden for other engagements.