VIENTIANE (AFP) – The goal of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s multi-nation Asia tour is to strengthen ties with regional allies in the face of a more aggressive Beijing. He arrived in Laos early on Saturday and will attend a regional summit and speak with his Chinese counterpart.

At the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Vientiane, the senior US diplomat is scheduled to meet with China’s Wang Yi.

Promoting a “free and open” Asia-Pacific area has been Blinken’s top priority, which is a barely concealed criticism of China’s regional economic, strategic, and territorial aspirations.

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