Biden announces $100 million spending at ASEAN summit

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced a $100 million initiative meant to beef up the U.S. relationship with Southeast Asian nations. Biden made the announcement at a virtual summit with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Tuesday. It’s the first time since 2017, when President Donald Trump participated in the summit, that a U.S. president took part in a meeting of the bloc. It comes as Biden is looking to strengthen the U.S. presence in the Pacific in the face of China’s growth as a national security and economic adversary. Biden calls the U.S. relationship with the Southeast Asian bloc “essential.”