Biden to announce $100 million spending at ASEAN summit

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday will announce a $100 million initiative meant to beef up the U.S. relationship with Southeast Asian nations, the White House says. Biden is set to participate Tuesday in a virtual summit with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It’s the first time since 2017, when President Donald Trump participated in the summit, that a U.S. president will take 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.