The United States will continue to stand by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as its primary platform for engagement in Southeast Asia, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring that Washington is "100 percent" committed to the regional bloc amid growing geopolitical tensions.

Speaking at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the United States in Pasay City, Rubio reiterated President Donald Trump's stance that Southeast Asia would continue to see the US’ commitment to it “at the highest levels.”  

"We're with ASEAN 100 percent," he said on Wednesday, July 22.

"This is the primary mechanism by which we engage the region, and you will continue to see our commitment to it at the highest levels," he added.

According to Rubio, Washington's commitment is backed by concrete initiatives, including $2.5 billion in US government strategic investments across Southeast Asia to strengthen economic ties and regional development.

"And we're investing because the development of ASEAN is also in the interest of the United States," he said.

"This is not charity. This is not something we're doing because we're nice people... But it's in our national interest," he added.

The American diplomat stressed that Washington's engagement with ASEAN would remain a strategic priority regardless of developments elsewhere in the world.

"We will never abandon it. No matter what else is going on in the world,” Rubio said. 

“It will never come at the expense of our alliances. It will never come at the expense of our partners," he added.

The US secretary also highlighted the recent approval by the US International Development Finance Corporation of $1.5 billion in strategic investments to support aviation infrastructure, energy security, and secure supply chains across the region.

"As this region becomes the engine of economic growth in the 21st century... I believe very much that the future and the story of the 21st century will be written in this region," Rubio said.

He added that the United States wants to help ASEAN strengthen its digital economy, diversify energy sources, and build more resilient supply chains.

"We want to be among your featured and most trusted partners in each of these endeavors," Rubio said.

He also announced nearly $130 million in US assistance for demining efforts in ASEAN member states and reaffirmed support for regional energy initiatives, including liquefied natural gas development, the ASEAN Power Grid, civil nuclear energy, and critical mineral supply chains.

"The United States stands with ASEAN, and we're working together to strengthen our economies and our people through forward-looking collaboration that will ensure that the US is your reliable and durable partner for the next 50 years and beyond," Rubio said.

(L-R) Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, East Timor Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Vietnam Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Brunei Foreign Minister Abdul Mateen Bolkiah, Indonesia Foreign Minister Sugiono, Laos Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Myanmar Permanent Secretary Hau Khan Sum, and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn pose during the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the United States, held as part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on July 22, 2026. (ASEAN 2026 PH)

For his part, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn, who serves as country coordinator between ASEAN and the US, said ASEAN-US relations have continued to expand over nearly five decades of cooperation.

He noted that the relationship has evolved from the United States becoming an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1977 to a Strategic Partnership in 2015 and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.

"These important milestones reflect how far our partnership has come, as well as our shared determination to build a stronger, safer, and more prosperous future," he said.

Prak Sokhonn said next year's 50th anniversary of ASEAN-US dialogue relations and the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership present an opportunity to chart the future of bilateral cooperation.

"This occasion offers a timely opportunity not only to reflect on what we have achieved together so far, but also to set a clear and ambitious direction for the next chapter of our partnership," he said.

He added that amid geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts, rapid technological advances, and increasingly complex transnational challenges, closer ASEAN-US cooperation is "more important than ever."

"We should continue shaping our partnership that is strategic, resilient, and responsive to the overwhelming needs and aspirations of our region and peoples," Prak Sokhonn said.