Facing the challenges posed by an increasingly hostile China, the United States and Japan are expected to further integrate their militaries and announce new agreements on technology and defense on Wednesday, while President Biden pays Prime Minister Fumio Kishida a state visit to Washington receives.
The talks are part of the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts against China, which include recent war exercises with Seoul. On Thursday, Mr. Biden and Mr. Kishida will meet with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., another Pacific island nation that has been targeted by an increasing Chinese military presence in the South China Sea.
The Biden administration is signaling the importance of its relationship with Tokyo by holding an official state dinner in honor of Mr. Kishida on Wednesday evening, reserved for America’s closest allies.
In a day of meetings, the two leaders will unveil new plans aimed at countering the far-reaching ambitions of China, which Mr. Biden has described as the United States’ only global rival, with “the intent to reshape the international order.” and increasingly the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to advance this goal.”
That concern comes amid arguments in Washington and Tokyo over the possibility of a return to power of former President Donald J. Trump, whose erratic foreign policy has kept many world leaders on tenterhooks. One goal of Mr. Biden, officials said, is to create as much stability as possible in Japanese relations before the November election.
An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the upcoming meeting, said there was “anxiety in capitals” around the world, including Tokyo, about whether Mr. Trump would undermine Mr. Biden’s international engagement and former presidents.” embraced. Another official said there was a real danger that, if elected, Mr. Trump could reverse the announcement made by the leaders of both countries on Wednesday.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Kishida are expected to outline greater coordination and integration between the two countries’ militaries, including the formation of a joint defense council that could support more defense-related exports of Japanese-made equipment. And officials said they would announce new collaborations on space ventures and collaboration between research institutions working on AI, semiconductors and clean energy.
“The American alliance system has helped bring peace and stability to the Indo-Pacific for decades, and now we must update and improve this alliance network for the modern age,” said Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser. “It goes far beyond safety. It’s economics. It’s technology. It’s about infrastructure development. And it is diplomacy. And all this will become clear in the meeting with the Prime Minister.”
Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, called the meeting a chance for the two nations to go beyond America’s work protecting Japan and write “the first chapter of the next era” of cooperation as they work together to assert power throughout the country region to spread.
That would be a broader relationship than the U.S. has had in the past with Japan, which has limited its defense spending and global engagement for decades.
That began to change in recent years under Mr. Kishida, who pushed to increase defense spending and participate in global efforts such as sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Administration officials said Japan’s new willingness to become a full partner of the United States on the global stage has taken the alliance between the two countries to a new level.
Thursday’s meeting between Mr. Biden, Mr. Kishida and Mr. Marcos of the Philippines represents a more aggressive attempt by the United States and its allies to isolate China – rather than allowing the Chinese leadership to intimidate and isolate its neighbors to the south of the China Sea and elsewhere.
Thursday’s meeting will be the first time the leaders of the three nations have met, officials said.
“We continue to deepen our collaboration with our closest partners to ensure what we have spoken about many times on this podium and elsewhere: a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr. Sullivan told reporters during a White House briefing on Tuesday.
Mr. Sullivan would not say whether Mr. Biden would discuss with Mr. Kishida plans by Nippon Steel, a Japanese company, to take over US Steel, the troubled Pittsburgh-based manufacturer. Mr. Biden has publicly stated that he will “have the back” of union steelworkers, expressing his opposition to the deal.
“You all know it, Joe Biden,” he said. “You saw Joe Biden. He has made it very clear that he will stand up for American workers. He will defend your interests. He has also made it very clear that he will ensure that the US-Japan alliance is stronger than ever before.”
But administration officials said later Tuesday that they did not believe the issue would come up between the two leaders on Wednesday because both men already know each other’s position.
Mr. Biden welcomed Mr. Kishida for a brief arrival at the White House on Tuesday evening. Later, the two leaders and their wives went to BlackSalt, an upscale seafood restaurant in Washington, for a more relaxed dinner before Wednesday’s formal events.
The day begins with a welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn. It ends with a glittering state dinner at the White House, where Mr. Biden will extend the hospitality of Mr. Kishida to a meal that includes house-made salmon and dry-aged rib-eye steak with blistered shishito pepper butter.
White House officials said the couples exchanged a series of gifts Tuesday evening, a diplomatic tradition for such events. The official gift from Mr. Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, was a three-legged table handmade by a Japanese-American company in Pennsylvania.
Other gifts included a lithograph and two-volume LP set signed by Billy Joel, as well as a vintage vinyl record collection. Dr. Biden gave Ms. Kishida a framed painting of the Yoshino cherry tree the two planted on the South Lawn last spring, as well as a soccer ball signed by the U.S. women’s national soccer team and the Japan women’s team.
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2024-04-10 09:03:53
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