This is the last leg of his Asia-Pacific journey, marked by the North Korean threat and rivalries with China. Joe Biden will attend a summit with Japan, India and Australia on Monday.
US President Joe Biden arrived in Japan on Sunday, the last leg of his first Asia tour since taking office, amid threats from North Korea, China’s geopolitical ambitions and war in Ukraine.
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After traveling to South Korea, another major US ally in the region, Biden landed at the US Yokota airbase, west of Tokyo, shortly after 5 p.m. local time.
He is due to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo on Monday. Then he will participate on Tuesday in a Quad summit, a diplomatic format bringing together the leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia which aims to counterbalance the growing economic, military and technological influence of the China in Asia-Pacific.
The latter reacted strongly on Sunday through the voice of its Foreign Minister Wang Yi, for whom Washington seeks “to form small cliques in the name of freedom and openness” hoping “contain China”.
“The so-called ‘Indo-Pacific strategy’ (US) is, in essence, a strategy to create division, incite confrontation and undermine peace”said the minister, quoted by the official agency New China. “No matter how it is presented or travestied, it is inevitably doomed to fail”.
“American-Australian Alliance”
Joe Biden called Sunday to congratulate him the winner of the legislative elections the day before in Australia, Anthony Albanese, reaffirming to him “the unwavering commitment of the United States to the American-Australian alliance”. Anthony Albanese has planned to participate in the Quad.
While India is the only Quad country that has not officially condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement on Sunday that he plans to have a bilateral exchange with Joe Biden.
Joe Biden must also unveil in Japan a new American initiative for trade in the region, perceived as a way of eventually freeing itself from Chinese supply chains.
A message for Kim Jong Un
He declared himself Sunday in Seoul “prepared” for a possible nuclear test by North Korea, but reaffirmed his openness to dialogue with a singular message to Kim Jong Un, shortly before leaving for Japan. “We are prepared for anything North Korea can do“, he assured, saying to himself”not worriedin the face of a possible nuclear test.
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Asked by a reporter who asked if he had a message for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Biden replied tersely: “Hello. Period“.
A way of making it known that Washington remains open to dialogue with North Korea, even in the absence of reciprocity. Talks with Pyongyang have stalled since a failed 2019 summit between Kim and then-US President Donald Trump.
Asia-Pacific, a battlefield
A sign of American ambitions in the region, Biden mentioned, during a joint press conference with Yoon, a “global competition between democracies and autocraciesand said that the Asia-Pacific region was a key battleground in this competition. “We have talked at length about the need to ensure that (this cooperation) is not limited to the United States, Japan and Korea, but encompasses the whole of the Pacific, the South Pacific and the Indo-Pacific. I think (this trip) is an opportunityBiden said. China is the main rival of the United States in this geopolitical struggle.
Before leaving Seoul, the American president met with the boss of the automaker Hyundai to celebrate the giant’s decision to invest 5.5 billion dollars in an electric vehicle factory in Georgia (southern United States). He also visited American and South Korean soldiers with Yoon, a sign of “truly integrated natureof the two countries’ economic and military alliance, according to a senior White House official.
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US President Joe Biden also called the next Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday to congratulate him on his victory in the legislative elections the day before, before meeting him on Tuesday in Tokyo at the Quad summit. “President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to the US-Australia alliance and his intention to work closely with the new government to make it even strongerthe White House said in a statement.
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