The growing threat from China and North Korea will be highlighted in the Biden administration’s first Cabinet-level foreign trip and part of an effort to increase U.S. influence on a larger scale and quell concerns about the U.S. role in Asia.
A senior administration official said Saturday (March 13) that U.S. officials have tried to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels since last month, but have yet to receive a response. Consultations with the isolated country’s neighbors, Japan, South Korea and China, are even more critical.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will begin a four-day visit to Japan and South Korea on Monday (March 15). The Biden Administration seeks to strengthen partnerships with two key regional treaty allies in the region. Blinken and Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will then meet with senior Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska. Their first official foreign trip is aimed at restoring what Biden hopes will be a peaceful relationship with Tokyo and Seoul.
In addition to formal talks, Blinken and Austin plan to hold virtual meetings with journalists, members of civil society and others. After securing U.S. Security commitments to Japan and South Korea with their counterparts, they plan to focus their talks on cooperation to counter an increasingly assertive China, the nuclear challenge of fresh, and the new coronavirus pandemic.
In his first months in office, Biden has already signaled his desire to put the Asia-Pacific region (or Indo-Pacific) back at the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. In keeping with the broader theme of “back to America” diplomacy, Biden has pledged to put stability in the region at the center of his international initiatives.
“A free and open Indo-Pacific region is essential,” Biden told the leaders of India, Japan and Australia at the quadrilateral virtual summit on Friday (March 12).
To several leaders, he said, “The United States is committed to working with you, our partners, and our allies in this region to achieve stability.”
Recent Comments