Top US Diplomat for Asia to Visit 4 ASEAN Countries

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink (L) attend a meeting with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Febr. 26, 2019. Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters

WASHINGTON—The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia will visit Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand from the weekend after President Joe Biden pledged stepped up engagement with Southeast Asia, a key battleground in his contest for influence with China.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, will be in the region from Saturday until Dec. 4, a State Department statement said.