KUALA LUMPUR: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived here tonight to begin his two-day working visit to Malaysia.
The special aircraft carrying Blinken and his 39-member entourage landed at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang near here at about 10.30pm.
On hand to welcome him were foreign ministry protocol chief Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah, undersecretary of Americas division Wan Aznainizam Yusri Wan Abdul Rashid as well as US ambassador to Malaysia Brian McFeeters.
Kuala Lumpur is Blinken’s second stop of a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia. He was in Indonesia on Monday before arriving in Malaysia. He will continue with his travel itinerary to Bangkok, Thailand.
Blinken will join a bilateral meeting with foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah in Putrajaya tomorrow before calling on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the Parliament building later in the day.
His visit is regarded as significant as the US moves to enhance engagement with Southeast Asia and strengthen its position in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to Wisma Putra, the visit will provide an excellent opportunity for Malaysia and the US to further strengthen their multifaceted cooperation and explore new joint initiatives.
Prior to this, many US secretaries of state have visited Malaysia, the most recent being Mike Pompeo in August 2018, Rex Tillerson in 2017, Hillary Clinton in 2010 and Condoleezza Rice in 2006. - FMT
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