U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin became the first member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet to visit Southeast Asia this week, seeking to emphasize the importance Washington places on fortifying ties in the region while pushing back against China. Austin arrived in Singapore on Tuesday at the start of his southeast Asia tour. He was greeted by the country’s defense minister, Ng Eng Hen. It’s the first leg of a regional trip that will also take him to Vietnam and the Philippines. The United States has put countering the Chinese regime at the heart of its national security policy for years and the Biden administration has called rivalry with Beijing “the biggest geopolitical test” of this century. Six months into his presidency, however, Southeast Asian countries are still looking for details of Biden’s strategy as well as his specific plans for economic, trade and military engagement with the Indo-Pacific. “You’ll hear …