As Biden skips Southeast Asia summits, is the US losing influence in the region?

Biden’s absence has been attributed to pressing domestic concerns, including the demands of the presidential election and recovery efforts from recent hurricanes.

But his no-show may reflect a “broader, more concerning trend in US foreign policy – one that signals a deprioritisation of Southeast Asia and Asean”, Joanne Lin, senior fellow of the Asean Studies Centre at the Singapore-based think tank ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, wrote on Wednesday.

Lin noted that Biden will travel to Germany and Angola during the same period to “strengthen relations with allies and friends” and stressed that the perceived diplomatic snub “raises serious questions about Washington’s long-term commitment to Asean and the broader Indo-Pacific”.

Some analysts say Biden’s absence does not necessarily indicate a diminished US interest in Southeast Asia but rather a shift in engagement strategy.

“On a symbolic level, the US president’s absence may not look good, but in terms of US strategy in Asia, forums like the East Asia summit are of limited relevance,” said Matteo Piasentini, a geopolitical analyst at Italian think tank Geopolitica.