Biden to Visit Europe Next Week... Attention on Holding South Korea-US-Japan Summit

Attended G7, EU, and NATO Summits in Succession
Possibility of South Korea-US-Japan Summit to Strengthen Anti-China Alliance
Expected US-Russia Talks with Putin to Settle Relations

U.S. President Joe Biden is riding a bicycle at a state park located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Joe Biden's first overseas trip since his inauguration has been confirmed. Through this visit, President Biden is expected to rally key allies in Europe and redefine relations with China and Russia. Attention is also focused on whether a trilateral summit between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan will take place.

According to the European trip schedule announced by the White House on the 3rd (local time), President Biden will hold talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the 10th and attend the G7 summit held in Cornwall, UK, from the 11th to the 13th.

President Biden plans to advance U.S. policy priorities such as health, economic recovery, and climate change through his first in-person multilateral diplomacy.

President Biden is expected to hold bilateral summits with leaders of the G7 member countries?the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan?as well as four invited countries: South Korea, India, Australia, and South Africa.

The schedule in the UK is likely to align with the anti-China coalition. The focus is on whether a South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit will be held. In diplomatic circles, it is widely believed that President Biden, who has consistently emphasized strengthening the South Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance in response to China's rise, is likely to push for a trilateral summit during this meeting.

The Biden administration holds the view that close cooperation among the three countries?South Korea, the U.S., and Japan?is essential for the Indo-Pacific strategy to contain China and to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

The Biden administration is aware of the conflicts between South Korea and Japan under the previous Donald Trump administration, and it has been suggested that some form of mediation may be undertaken. If the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit takes place, it will be the first in about 3 years and 9 months since September 2017.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun also reported, citing Japanese government officials, that coordination is underway to hold a trilateral summit led by the U.S. during this period.

Keeping Distance from Xi Jinping... Seeking U.S.-Russia Tension Reduction in Meeting with Putin

In the latter part of his European trip, President Biden will attempt to rally anti-Russian forces and negotiate directly with President Vladimir Putin.

President Biden will then move to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on the 14th.

The White House explained that President Biden will reaffirm the U.S. commitment to NATO, transatlantic security, and collective defense, while NATO leaders will discuss setting directions for future threats and effective defense cost-sharing.

On the 15th, President Biden will hold a U.S.-European Union (EU) summit to discuss health, economic recovery, climate change, digital and trade cooperation, and foreign policy, before moving to Geneva, Switzerland, to hold his first bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 16th since taking office.

President Biden has consistently confronted Russia over human rights issues such as the attempted poisoning of Putin’s opponent Alexei Navalny, Russian hacking attacks, and the Ukraine issue. In media interviews, he has even described President Putin as a murderer.

However, there is also analysis suggesting that President Biden will use this summit as an opportunity to improve relations with President Putin and focus on competition with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.