US President Joe Biden mistakenly thanked Colombia on Saturday instead of Cambodia for hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

“It was an honor to host at the White House in May, and now that we are back together in Cambodia,” Biden told participating leaders. “I look forward to building even stronger progress than we’ve already made. I want to thank the prime minister for Colombia’s leadership as ASEAN chair.”

The president also said Colombia instead of Cambodia before departing for the meeting but corrected himself.

The 25th ASEAN Plus Three — China, Japan and South Korea — summit kicked off Saturday in Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh and is attended by ASEAN countries’ leaders as well as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, while Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to arrive later.

Economic integration

Li urged “advancing regional economic integration” at the ASEAN summit in Cambodia.

The Chinese Premier said in this period, when global and regional balances are going through deep and complex transformations, the tendencies of unilateralism and protectionism have increased in the world.

East Asian countries should continue to adhere to the goals of peace, stability and development, he said.

“East Asia, which accounts for 30% of the global population, economy and trade, has become the main engine of the world economy. Closer cooperation in this region is vital to overcoming the downward trend in the economy and sustaining development over the long term,” Li said. (PNA)