Biden to visit South Korea and Japan in May to deepen ties
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WASHINGTON • US President Joe Biden will travel to South Korea and Japan next month, paying a visit to two of Washington's main Asian allies amid tensions with rival China and regional foe North Korea, the White House announced on Wednesday.
During the May 20-24 trip, Mr Biden will meet the leaders of the two countries with the aim of advancing his "administration's rock-solid commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to US treaty alliances with the Republic of Korea and Japan", press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
While in Tokyo, Mr Biden will also meet the other leaders of the Quad grouping - Australia, Japan and India - and is seen as a bulwark against an increasingly assertive China.
The Biden administration has repeatedly characterised the Asia-Pacific region, and particularly the rise of China, as the No. 1 strategic issue for the United States.
China and the US, the world's two biggest economies, are at loggerheads over trade, human rights and, more broadly, what Mr Biden often portrays as a defining struggle in the 21st century between the globe's autocracies and democracies.
Mr Biden's visit will also take place after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un test-fired a slew of banned weapons this year while ignoring US offers of talks and vowing to accelerate his nuclear programme rapidly.
During Mr Biden's bilateral meetings with South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, he will "discuss opportunities to deepen our vital security relationships, enhance economic ties, and expand our close cooperation to deliver practical results", Ms Psaki said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE