President Joe Biden will go to Asia for the first time as president next month, visiting South Korea and Japan from May 20 to 24, according to White House of The trip is intended to “deepen relations between our governments, economies, and people,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
“This journey will demonstrate the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwavering commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, as well as the United States’ treaty relationships with Korea and Japan.”
A series of North Korean nuclear tests, which have alarmed US officials and underlined the hermit kingdom’s ongoing threats, will hang over the trip. Kim Jong Un, the country’s ruler, promised to “strengthen and build” his nuclear capabilities at the “fastest feasible” speed at a large military parade this week, revealing his plans for the next months.
ficials, highlighting his commitment to the area even as the world’s attention is focused on the Ukraine issue.
Biden will meet with his counterparts in each nation, according to officials: Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, who will be inaugurated on May 10, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Biden will also meet with the presidents of Japan, Australia, and India in Tokyo, in a gathering of the Quad cooperation, which he helped reinvigorate.
The four-day journey to Asia comes at a key juncture in Biden’s administration, as he tries to keep the US and its allies together in the face of Russia’s unjustified attack on Ukraine, which has resulted in rising civilian losses and more violence.
The President’s second year in office has been consumed by the European crisis, with the US contributing billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine and imposing a raft of economic penalties on Russia. In the wake of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Biden has stated that the US’ Indo-Pacific partnerships are critical to maintaining a “rules-based order” throughout the world.
At the same time, the battle has highlighted the persistent challenges faced by ancient rivals such as Russia, even as Biden attempts to reshape American foreign policy in Asia in order to confront China’s increasing dominance.
Biden is the third US president in a row to express a wish to focus on Asia, but his travel comes 16 months into his office, which is later than usual presidents. The Covid-19 epidemic has limited Biden’s trip.
White House advisers claim that they can focus on Asia while the world is captivated with the Ukraine situation. Officials say they’ve been pleasantly pleased by the willingness of US Asian allies, such as Japan and South Korea, to join a worldwide sanctions regime aimed at suffocating Russia’s economy.
As part of its effort to wean itself from Russian energy imports, Japan and South Korea have transferred some of their natural gas supply to Europe.
Last month, after Yoon, a conservative former prosecutor, was declared the victor of the South Korean election to replace departing President Moon Jae In, Biden spoke with him on the phone.
The duo addressed, among other things, the challenges presented by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, as well as other global concerns such as Covid-19 and climate change, according to the White House at the time.