As Trump Looms, Blinken Aims to Reassure Allies on U.S. Commitment to Asia

For three and a half years, President Biden and his aides have insisted that the United States is a Pacific power, and that its allies and partners in the region need not worry about Washington’s commitments.

For U.S. officials, underscoring that message has become increasingly important as China’s power has grown. Now Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken plans to deliver assurances in person across six nations, his most ambitious trip in the region.

When Mr. Blinken lands in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on Saturday, he will face a barrage of questions about what dramatic shifts in U.S. policy might or might not occur next year, given the upcoming change in the presidency.

Mr. Biden’s announcement last Sunday that he is no longer running for re-election sent shock waves around the world. Many of America’s allies are especially concerned about a second Trump presidency, given that former President Donald J. Trump has constantly declared that those allies are conning the United States into providing military support. They are uncertain if Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, can beat him in November.

Regardless, Mr. Blinken’s core message will be one of American resolve.

“I think the message that the secretary is going to be conveying to the region is that America is all in on the Indo-Pacific,” Daniel J. Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, told reporters on Monday. “I think from Day 1 of this administration, we have significantly and dramatically stepped up our engagement.”

But the talking point does not answer in concrete terms the main question from allies: Starting next year, will the United States invest significantly in Asia — in both economic and military terms? Mr. Blinken could argue that Ms. Harris’s foreign policy would be a continuation of Mr. Biden’s, but in no way can he speak for Mr. Trump.

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