U.S. President Joe Biden is set to visit South Korea and Japan next month — his first trip to Asia since taking office — as Washington aims to boost ties with its key allies in a region confronting rising tensions with China and a nuclear-armed North Korea.
Biden, who will visit South Korea followed by Japan, will hold bilateral talks with the nations’ leaders. The Tokyo stop will also include a summit of ‘Quad’ leaders — a grouping that includes the U.S., Japan, India and Australia.
The Quad talks will mark just the second in-person leaders’ meeting for the group, following a summit at the White House in September attended by then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. The meeting also comes as the U.S. and allies aim to convince India to take a harder line on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The visit is aimed at showcasing the administration’s “rock-solid commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to U.S. treaty alliances with the Republic of Korea and Japan,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in statement Wednesday.
In Seoul, Biden will hold a May 21 meeting with newly elected President Yoon Suk-yeol, the conservative political newcomer who will take office on May 10, the Yonhap news agency reported Thursday. Yoon is expect to take a harder line on North Korea than his progressive predecessor, outgoing President Moon-Jae-in.
In Tokyo, Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on May 23, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Thursday. The Quad summit is set to take place the following day, Matsuno added.
The trip’s announcement comes amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness in the region and an increase in missile testing by North Korea. Late on Monday, North Korea held a large-scale military parade, showcasing its arsenal and delivering a warning about the potential use of nuclear weapons.
Biden’s trip also comes as Japan weighs dramatic shifts in its security posture, with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposing to double defense spending and changes to long-standing defense-oriented polices.
During the bilateral summits, “the leaders will discuss opportunities to deepen our vital security relationships, enhance economic ties and expand our close cooperation to deliver practical results,” Psaki said.
She added the the trip “will build on more than a year of intensive diplomacy with the Indo-Pacific,” including a U.S.-ASEAN summit set for May 12-13 in Washington.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
