President Joe Biden will host the first-ever leaders’ summit between the US, Japan and the Philippines this week, the latest attempt to draw Pacific allies and partners closer as the region grapples with China’s aggression and nuclear provocations from North Korea.
It comes as the president has sought to keep his eye on the strategy laid out early in the administration even as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza rose to the forefront of global attention.
Biden’s week also includes an official visit for Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, reinforcing his commitment to cultivating partnerships in the Indo-Pacific in the face of China’s rising economic and military power.
“Since day one, President Biden has remained personally focused on reaffirming and reinvigorating our alliances around the world, and nowhere has this strategy paid off more than in the Indo-Pacific,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN in a statement. “We firmly believe that investing in alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific benefits the American people, makes us safer, and more competitive on the world stage.”
Starting Tuesday evening, the president and first lady Dr. Jill Biden welcome Kishida and his wife Kishida Yuko to the White House. The official visit kicks off in earnest on Wednesday with the full pomp and circumstance of a South Lawn arrival ceremony, bilateral meeting, joint news conference and lavish state dinner.
It will mark the fifth official state visit of the Biden White House and the fourth dedicated to a key Indo-Pacific ally with three previous visits honoring Australia, India and South Korea.
The two men are expected to announce a major update to their military alliance and lay out greater defense industrial cooperation, a senior administration official…
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