EAS central for US visions for free and open Indo-Pacific, peace and prosperity: Blinken

Washington [US] August 5 : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said East Asia Summit (EAS) is central for the US visions for a free and open Indo-Pacific and peace and prosperity.
The US is expanding its strategic partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and is committed to supporting the prosperity of our ASEAN partners, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
"Had a good meeting with my counterparts of the East Asia Summit nations. The EAS is central to the US vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and peace and prosperity in the region," he tweeted.
The US State Secretary and ASEAN foreign ministers also discussed pressing regional and international challenges, including combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, acting boldly against the climate crisis, strengthening human capital development, and the urgency of action on Myanmar.
Aside from this, Secretary Blinken stressed the US commitment to leading the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This includes providing more than 500 million safe and effective vaccine doses to Gavi for distribution by COVAX to 92 low and middle-income countries around the world and to the African Union in addition to a USD 2 billion contribution to Gavi, the global vaccine initiative, in support of COVAX, making the United States the single largest contributor to the international response to COVID-19."
Blinken noted that, to date, the United States has donated more than 23 million vaccine doses and nearly USD 160 million in assistance to ASEAN member states to combat COVID-19, Price said.