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

US President Joe Biden’s absence from key Southeast Asian summits this week has raised concerns over Washington’s commitment to the region, though some analysts say it is a shift in strategy towards bilateral and multilateral partnerships rather than reduced engagement.

Biden will be notably absent from the US-Asean summit and the East Asia summit in Laos that both begin on Friday, in his second consecutive year of absence. Vice-President Kamala Harris attended the summits last year, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend this…