(VOVWORLD) – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Southeast Asia later this month, the Pentagon said, a trip that will include stops in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

“Secretary Austin’s visit will demonstrate the importance the Biden-Harris Administration places on Southeast Asia and on ASEAN as an essential part of the Indo-Pacific’s architecture,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

The US embassy in Hanoi said on Tuesday that Austin’s trip would start on Friday.

This trip will underscore the enduring US commitment to the region, and its interest in upholding the rules-based international order in the region and promoting ASEAN centrality, the embassy said in a Facebook post.

Source: VOV5