Joe Biden to host ASEAN leaders in May

Over the weekend, the White House revealed when the summit would take place between US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN. Biden will be meeting the ASEAN leaders in Washington in May.

Biden’s summit with the ASEAN leaders is set to take place from May 12 to 13. The summit is part of the United States’ effort to engage and reaffirm ties with the leaders of the countries in the region. The summit was originally set to happen from March 28 to 29, but ASEAN postponed the meeting due to scheduling concerns of some of the member countries.

The summit will also commemorate the 45 years of relations between the US and the ASEAN countries. This also follows Biden’s attendance at the ASEAN summit back in October 2021, with the US leader announcing $102 million in new initiatives to help the countries address key issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, health security, climate change, economic growth, and gender equality.

“It is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration to serve as a strong, reliable partner in Southeast Asia,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a statement issued Saturday. “Our shared aspirations for the region will continue to underpin our common commitment to advance an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, secure, connected, and resilient.”

The group’s member countries are divided in stances when it comes to Myanmar, as its military seized power in a coup and ousted its elected government back in February last year. With Myanmar’s junta failing to adhere to the group’s five-point plan, the group has been forced to bar its junta leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, from attending its summit and instead only allowed a non-political representative to attend. Washington has adopted a similar policy to have Myanmar send a non-political representative to participate in the summit.

In other related news, the Bidens disclosed their combined income in their joint income tax returns that were released Friday last week. The Bidens made a combined income of $610,702 in 2021.

The US leader’s presidential salary was $378,333, which is a little under the usual annual paycheck of $400,000 as Biden entered office on January 20, 2021. First lady Dr. Jill Biden, who is a teacher at North Virginia Community College, earned $67,116. The Bidens paid a federal income tax rate of 24.6 percent, amounting to $150,439 and $30,765 in their home state of Delaware.