U.S. vows $150 mil. in investment to ASEAN amid China's growing clout

The United States on Thursday pledged over $150 million in investment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for maritime cooperation, infrastructure and other initiatives as it kicked off a two-day summit with the 10-member group in Washington.The gathering is intended to demonstrate the commitment the United States has to the Indo-Pacific, where China has been increasing its clout and making extensive claims in regional waters.The announcement on the new initiatives, which follows a commitment made in October of up to $102 million in investment in U.S.-ASEAN relations by President …READ FULL ARTICLE