Blinken, Southeast Asia Leaders to Meet Virtually Next Week 

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet virtually with Southeast Asian officials every day next week, a senior state department official said Saturday, as Washington seeks to show the region it’s a U.S. priority while also addressing the crisis in Myanmar.

The top U.S. diplomat will attend virtual meetings for five consecutive days, including annual meetings of the 10 foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other nations and separate meetings of the Lower Mekong subregion countries Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. "I think it's a clear demonstration of our commitment to the region," said the official, who briefed Reuters on condition of anonymity. In recent years top U.S. officials have not always attended ASEAN meetings and have sometimes sent more junior officials to the region's summits.