US President Joe Biden arrived in Japan in the second phase of his first trip to Asia as president.
Biden will have two busy days. On Monday, he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Emperor Naruhito, as well as promote the US-led multinational trade initiative. On Tuesday, he will join the leaders of India, Australia and Japan at the Quad Group summit.
Biden landed at Yokota Air Force Base outside Tokyo after spending two days in South Korea, underscoring the U.S.’s economic commitment to the region. U.S. officials could only speculate as to whether North Korea could test a missile or a bomb with nuclear capabilities while the U.S. leader visited the region, ignoring Washington’s attempt to stand out.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un did not blow up the ordeal while Biden was in neighboring South Korea, but U.S. officials remain in the dark about what else might happen.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters on the way to Tokyo“Every time people start thinking about what North Korea could do and what it couldn’t do, they tend to be confused in their expectations one way or another.”
“We were prepared for any unforeseen circumstances while we were in Korea,” Sullivan said. “We are prepared for any unforeseen circumstances while we are in Japan, and we will face very closely with (South Korea) and Japan on this occasion.”
“And if North Korea acts, we will be ready to respond,” he said. “If North Korea does not act, North Korea will have the opportunity, as we have repeatedly said, to sit down and start talks” on dismantling its nuclear arsenal.
At the same time, Biden and his aides are contributing to the long-term stability and growth of the U.S. economy, the world’s largest, amid four decades of high consumer price growth in the United States and supply chain disruptions in world trade.
Sullivan said: “The fact that the United States will grow faster than China (the world’s number one economy) this year, for the first time since 1976, is a pretty striking example of how countries in the region should look at the issue. . trends and trajectories ”.
He echoed Biden’s oft-repeated opinion, saying, “There is never a good bet against the United States. And in fact, we believe that many countries in the region recognize that fact.”
He said Biden’s multinational trade initiative, which opens Monday, “will be strong evidence that countries really want to bet on the United States, want to be part of an economic agreement with the United States where we set the rules together, we” to build together diverse and sustainable supply chains, that American innovation is at the heart and American investment in infrastructure is at the heart of the economic strategy of many of these countries. ”
Biden’s encouragement of the U.S. economy comes at a time when China is experiencing significant economic disruptions due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
On Tuesday, Biden will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, newly elected Australian leader Anthony Albanese and Kishida at the Quad summit.
Sullivan said international “food security” would be a topic of discussion, and Modi’s decision a week ago to block exports of wheat produced in India, compared to Russia, blocks exports of Ukrainian wheat to the world market during the ongoing war between the two countries.
