US pledges nearly $300 million security funding for Southeast Asia

Pompeo unveiled the figure to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers from ASEAN

SINGAPORE: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged on Saturday to provide nearly $300 million in new security funding for Southeast Asia.

Pompeo unveiled the figure to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other officials from around the world in Singapore.

The United States said earlier this week it will invest $113 million in technology, energy and infrastructure initiatives in emerging Asia which he called "a down-payment on a new era of US economic commitment to the region".