Blinken in Indonesia as US seeks to shore-up Southeast Asia ties

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Indonesia on Monday, kicking off a visit to Southeast Asia aimed at strengthening ties in a region that has become a strategic battleground between Washington and Beijing.

In his first Southeast Asia trip since US President Joe Biden took office in January, Blinken will be in Malaysia and Thailand this week after visiting Indonesia's capital Jakarta, where he will meet President Joko Widodo and will deliver a speech on US Indo-Pacific strategy on Tuesday.