US official says diplomatic push in Asia paying dividends

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A top State Department official says the American diplomatic push aimed at countering China’s increasing influence in the Asia-Pacific region appears to be paying dividends, with many nations showing a willingness to partner with the United States. U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet told The Associated Press Friday it was noteworthy that 13 nations representing 40% of the world’s economy had signed on to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that President Joe Biden launched in Japan. China at around the same time failed in its attempt to get a group of Pacific islands to endorse a sweeping agreement with Beijing. Chollet is one of three senior U.S. officials currently in Asia, part of an outreach meant to put diplomacy at the center of American foreign policy.