Author: Sheryn Lee, Swedish Defence University On the 45th anniversary of official US–ASEAN ties, US President Joe Biden hosted the leaders of Southeast Asian nations in May 2022 for a historic summit at the White House. The meeting’s aim was to signal a ‘new era’ in relations by reassuring ASEAN of its centrality at the ‘heart’ of Biden’s Asia strategy. Washington reinforced its commitment to a ‘meaningful, substantive and mutually beneficial’ ASEAN–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.