Blinken to celebrate Biden legacy, reassure allies in Asia after president drops out of 2024 race

AP Diplomatic Writer

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make the case for the Biden administration’s expanded commitment to Asia and the Indo-Pacific as he visits Laos, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia this week and next. The trip comes as the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign heats up after a series of bombshell developments upended the race. Blinken, who has already modified his travel schedule twice since the trip was announced just hours after President Joe Biden made his decision not to seek re-election, arrives in Vientiane, Laos, on Saturday for the annual ASEAN Regional Forum. The security conference gathers the foreign ministers of Association of Southeast Asian Nations and regional powers like China, Australia, Japan, Russia, South Korea and India.