US President Joe Biden is heading to Japan on Sunday, the second leg of his trip aimed at strengthening US leadership in Asia by countering the rise of China and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
Biden leaves South Korea, where he held a series of meetings with newly elected President Yun Suk-yeol, during which they discussed the issue of expanded military exercises in the face of threats from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. At a time when officials from both countries have warned that Kim could raise tensions by testing nuclear weapons while Biden is in the region, the US president said Democratic allies should deepen ties. In a joint press conference with Yun, Biden spoke of “the global rivalry between democracies and authoritarian regimes,” saying that the Asia-Pacific region is the main battlefield.
Although China is the main rival of the United States in this conflict, Biden highlighted the challenge posed by Russia when he signed a $40 billion aid package late Saturday night to help Ukraine resist invading Russian troops.
In Japan, Biden will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Emperor Naruhito on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s quadripartite summit, which will include the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Also Monday, Biden unveils a major new U.S. initiative for regional trade, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. In a statement Saturday, Biden and Yoon said that in view of the continued threat from North Korea, “they have agreed to initiate discussions to expand the scale and scope of joint military exercises and exercises in and around the Korean Peninsula.” The potential intensification of joint US-South Korean military exercises is a response to North Korea’s nuclear tests this year.