Joe Biden begins an eight-day trip to the Indo-Pacific this week and will be the first sitting US president to visit Papua New Guinea.
The purpose of the trip is to underscore the administration’s commitment to the Pacific region and strengthen ties with longtime allies amid growing U.S. concern over America’s growing military and economic influence. China in the region.
Biden will first travel to Hiroshima for the G7 summit, then make a brief stopover in Papua New Guinea before heading to Australia for the Quad Leaders’ Summit, where he will meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Premier Indian Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister. Minister Fumio Kishida.
Quad, a strategic dialogue between Australia, India, the United States and Japan on security issues in the Indo-Pacific region, was institutionalized in 2007. After taking office, Biden attempted to revitalize the group as part of its broader effort to expand the U.S. presence in the Pacific.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s provocative actions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait are expected to be the center of attention during the president’s trip.
At a G7 ministerial meeting last month, the alliance pledged to present a united front against Chinese threats in Taiwan and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The foreign ministers of the G7 countries said in their statement that the alliance would consider the possibility of tightening sanctions against Russia.
Biden’s trip comes amid a deadlock in Congress over raising the debt ceiling, and if no deal is reached, the federal government could run out of funds around the first half of June.
Biden’s brief stopover in Papua New Guinea – the first visit by a sitting US president to the country – will be proof that the United States is serious about long-term cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. .
Read the Ukraine War News Latest Today on The Eastern Herald.
