The White House announces that President Joe Biden will visit South Korea and Japan next month while China and North Korea flex their muscles
- The White House announced on Wednesday that Biden will travel to Japan and South Korea from May 20-24
- Jen Psaki said the trip will “deepen the ties between our governments and people.”
- Biden will meet with other leaders of the Quad grouping during the trip
President Joe Biden will visit Japan and South Korea next month to underscore his commitment to a region where China has sought to assert dominance and where North Korea has stepped up missile testing, the White House announced Wednesday.
The trip will draw attention to a part of the world that has been overshadowed by the war in Ukraine for the past two months.
Spokesperson Jen Psaki said the May 20-24 visit will “deepen ties between our governments and our peoples.”
He will meet Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, who is due to take office on May 10, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
There will also be a meeting with the other three Quad group leaders from Australia, Japan and India.
“This trip will advance the Biden-Harris administration’s rock-solid commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to US treaty alliances with the Republic of Korea and Japan,” Psaki said.
President Joe Biden will visit Japan and North Korea next month as his administration seeks to focus on Asia despite two months of war in Ukraine
Kim Jong-un performed at a military parade marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army in Pyongyang, North Korea this week
Several rocket launcher vehicles take part in a nighttime military parade marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army
Hwasong-17 ICBMs take part in a nighttime military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea
The trip is Biden’s fourth foreign visit since taking office. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he traveled to Poland and Belgium in March.
The Asia trips come as China has become more assertive in the Indo-Pacific region, claiming territory and increasing its aggressive rhetoric towards Taiwan.
At the same time, North Korea launched a series of missile tests. The country’s leader Kim Jong-un pledged this week to “strengthen and develop” its nuclear forces.
The trip comes at a key juncture in Biden’s presidency as he seeks to unite allies against Russia at a time when he had been working to orient US foreign policy toward Asia to counter the rise of China.
In a sign of the forces at work, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week had a rare phone call with his Chinese counterpart, who warned him that Taiwan is part of China – amid signals that Russia’s war on Ukraine is affecting planners’ views of a potential conflict.
Taiwan is part of China and nobody can change that, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said in a rare phone call with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, according to a statement from Beijing.
“If the Taiwan issue were not handled properly, it would have detrimental effects on China-US relations,” Wei added, according to a statement released by the Defense Ministry.
Wei’ explained his solemn position on the Taiwan issue, stressing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. It is a fact and reality that no one can change,” Beijing said.
The call comes as the US has repeatedly urged China not to provide military assistance to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Moscow, in turn, has fired a diplomatic letter to Washington urging the US to stop arming Ukraine.