Biden turns his attention back to Asia after months focused on Russia's war in Ukraine
Shafaq News / President Joe Biden departed Thursday on an alliance-boosting visit to Asia, a belated first trip to a region that remains central to his foreign policy goals even as his focus has been drawn away.
Biden's stops in two staunch US allies -- South Korea and Japan -- are meant to bolster partnerships at a moment of global instability. While Biden and his team have spent much of their time and resources on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, provocations from North Korea have intensified and China continues to flex its economic and military might.
As he touches down in Seoul on Friday, the region's tensions will be palpable. North Korea appears to be preparing for an underground nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile test around Biden's visit, according to officials, even as it weathers a major outbreak of Covid-19. US intelligence assesses that North Korea may now be getting ready to fuel an intercontinental ballistic missile, one of the key final stages in preparing for a test launch, according to a US official familiar with the latest information.
It is against that backdrop that Biden will embark upon his most intensive efforts at engaging Asian allies since taking office. The White House says it's prepared for all contingencies, including a test occurring while Biden is on the Korean peninsula.
In Seoul, he'll meet the country's newly elected president, Yoon Seok-youl, a first-time elective office holder who has signaled a desire to expand his country's foreign policy beyond just a focus on North Korea.
And in Tokyo, Biden will meet for bilateral talks with the country's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, before meeting with the leaders of Japan, Australia and India in a gathering of the Quad partnership that's been revitalized at his initiative.
Along the way, Biden is expected to reaffirm US support for its allies amid intensifying provocations from North Korea, while also seeking new areas of economic cooperation — particularly on advanced technologies affected by supply chain disruptions. And he is expected to unveil a new Indo-Pacific economic framework, though the plan has already been critiqued for lacking specifics.
Biden said at a White House reception this week that his trip was intended "to affirm the importance of our Indo-Pacific alliances" and "celebrate the indispensable partnerships" in the region, including through cultural ties.
(CNN)
