Blinken heads to Asia this week for a summit of regional leaders

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make his 19th trip in office to Asia this week when he leads the U.S. delegation to a meeting of East Asian leaders in Laos.

The State Department said Tuesday that Blinken would fill in for President Joe Biden at the annual East Asia Summit, hosted by the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Blinken will travel to Laos’ capital, Vientiane, for meetings on Thursday and Friday before joining Biden in Germany and Angola over the weekend, the department said.

Frayed relations with China will be a major agenda item for Blinken, who late last month met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, said Dan Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia.

However, he could not say if Blinken plans to hold separate meetings in Laos with Chinese officials. China will be represented at the summit by Premier Li Qiang.