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Biden to visit South Korea, Japan May 20-24
The announcement came as Russia's war in Ukraine continues, while concerns also remain over China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and North Korea's nuclear and missile ambitions.
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House on January 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. Later on Monday afternoon, President Joe Biden will sign an executive order aimed at boosting American manufacturing and strengthening the federal government's (Agence France Presse/Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
U
S President Joe Biden will visit South Korea and Japan from May 20 to 24 to advance a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and strengthen ties with its two key Asian allies, the White House said Wednesday, making it his first trip to the region since taking office last year.
The announcement came as Russia's war in Ukraine continues, while concerns also remain over China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and North Korea's nuclear and missile ambitions.
The trip will advance the Biden administration's "rock-solid commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to US treaty alliances" with South Korea and Japan, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Biden will hold bilateral meetings with South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to deepen security relationships, enhance economic ties and expand close cooperation to deliver "practical results," Psaki said.
In Tokyo, Biden will also meet with the leaders of the Quad, a grouping bringing the United States together with Australia, Japan and India. The Biden administration views the partnership of the four major democracies in the Indo-Pacific as key amid efforts to push back against China's growing clout in the region.
Japan has been preparing for a second in-person meeting of the Quad leaders in the first half of this year. Biden has not had a chance to travel to Asia as president so far, with annual regional meetings having gone virtual amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden said earlier this month during a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he is looking forward to seeing him in Japan around May 24.
But the official schedule of his trip to Asia had not yet been announced.
