G7 summit: Biden arrives in Japan and meets with prime minister

(CNN) President Joe Biden arrives Japanese on Thursday for a truncated visit to Asia meant to strengthen allies amid China’s growing military and economic ambitions.

The trip, once planned for eight days, was shortened by half; two of Biden’s three stops were scrapped so he could return to Washington for negotiations on raising the US debt ceiling.

Left with only a stop in Japan for the Group of Seven summit, Biden is trying to unite the leaders of some of the world’s largest economies on a pledge to counter Beijing’s aggression and support Ukraine amid Russian aggression. .

World leaders will also convene for a discussion on artificial intelligence, a sign that rapid advances in technology have become a cause for concern.

However, concern over the possibility of a US default poses the most immediate threat to global stability, and leaders are expected to question Biden on the risks when they begin meetings on Friday.

First the US president met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the eve of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, emphasizing the close US-Japan relationship amid China’s growing military and economic ambitions, as well as Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

“The bottom line, Mr. Prime Minister, is that when our countries are together, we are stronger. And I believe the whole world is safer when we do so,” Biden told his host.

As he sat across from Kishida at the start of a bilateral meeting with top aides, Biden cited Kishida’s comments last year during a trip to the White House that the two countries face one of the most complex environments in security in recent history.

“I couldn’t agree with you more — and I’m proud that the United States and Japan are facing this together. And, you know, we stand for shared values, including supporting the brave people in Ukraine as they defend. their sovereign territory and hold Russia accountable for this brutal aggression,” said Biden, who was flanked by national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“We monitor global challenges from strengthening our community and our commitment to nuclear nonproliferation to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific that is at the heart of it all,” he continued.

Biden pointed to deepening cooperation between the US and Japan in emerging technologies, including new partnerships in quantum computing and semiconductors.

He thanked Kishida for hosting and said he looked forward to future summits. The leaders did not take questions from journalists.

An eye toward China

Japan is the only Asian member of the G7, meaning the summit only happens on the continent every seven years. That helped lend a sense of urgency to the leaders’ discussions with China, which recently sailed warships near Japan in the lead-up to the meetings.

Biden aides insisted there was no “arm twisting” at the G7 table when it came to China, and acknowledged that each of the countries represented — including France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and the United States — will decide on its own strategy.

At the same time, the US president puts a premium on collective action, and wants a united front when it comes to issues like TaiwanSouth China Sea and Beijing’s coercive economic practices.

“I think you will see, coming out of this summit, alignment and consolidation around the core principles of our approach to the People’s Republic of China,” US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. aboard Air Force One as Biden flew to Japan. “Of course, each country has its own unique relationship and its own unique strategy, but those relationships and strategies are built on a common basis. And I think you’ll see that reflected in the outcomes of the G7.”

During his four days here, Biden plans to attend several group and individual meetings with G7 allies, as well as some non-G7 leaders who have been invited this year as guests.

Plans were laid to bring together the leaders of the Quad alliance, made up of the United States, Japan, Australia and India, after a planned summit of the group was canceled when Biden canceled his stop in Sydney.

He will hold a news conference on Sunday before returning to Washington.

Planning for Ukraine’s counteroffensive

No other global alliance has been as important to maintaining western unity following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine than the G7. The bloc has been reinvigorated as leaders link sanctions and billions of dollars in military aid.

That will continue this week when the G7 unveils new sanctions meant to close loopholes that allow Russian entities to circumvent restrictions already in place. They are expected to hear mostly from Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, who will no doubt issue a call for more advanced weapons.

The leaders are also expected to discuss the situation on the ground, where Ukrainian forces are preparing for a counter-offensive with the help of billions of dollars in new western military aid.

The hope, according to US officials, is that Ukraine can gain enough territory to give Zelensky leverage in the final peace talks. But where and how those conversations take place remains an open question; Meanwhile, European allies fear the war could turn into a grinding stalemate.

Recent Japanese military buildup

Japan has adopted a more assertive foreign policy amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s growing military assertiveness, a development welcomed inside the White House.

In December, Kishida unveiled a new national security plan that amounts to the country’s biggest military build-up since World War II, doubling defense spending and deviating from its pacifist constitution in the face of growing threats from rivals. in the region, including China.

The decision marked a dramatic shift for both the country and the US security alliance in the Indo-Pacific region.

When Kishida made a secret trip to Kyiv in March, he became the first post-World War II leader to visit a war zone — further cementing the notion that Japan’s foreign policy is entering a new period.

He also chose the symbolic city of Hiroshima, where he has family roots, to host world leaders. Destroyed by an American atomic bomb in 1945, the city served as a reminder to the assembled leaders of the importance of their diplomatic efforts. More than 100,000 people were killed in the bombing.

Biden is the second US president to visit Hiroshima. President Barack Obama paid a historic visit here in 2016, laying a wreath at a memorial park and meeting with some survivors.

The bombing of Hiroshima hastened the end of World War II but launched a new era of atomic brinksmanship. This week’s gathering comes at a time of heightened nuclear fears, with threats emanating from North Korea, Iran and Russia — each with no clear solution.