U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on April 16. According to political analysts, China’s growing influence will likely be high on the agenda.
The two leaders will meet in Washington. Remarkably, that’s president Joe Biden’s first in-person summit with a foreign leader since his January inauguration. The meeting comes as America seeks to challenge China on issues ranging from human rights to unfair trade practices.
According to Jonathan Wood, director, and lead U.S. analyst at consultancy Control Risks, rebuilding U.S. alliances and competing with China is the core of Biden’s foreign policy. To this end, the in-person meeting with Suga signals that Japan is a key to both efforts.
Joe Biden and Yoshihide Suga are anticipated to discuss the U.S.-Japan security partnership and other potential areas of cooperation during their meeting. Analysts say that could include climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
U.S.-Japan infrastructure cooperation could rival China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative
Nikkei Asia reported that one possible outcome of the summit is an infrastructure plan focusing on high-quality projects such as high-speed 5G internet and clean energy.
Furthermore, the report revealed that such a U.S.-Japan infrastructure cooperation could rival China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative is China’s ambitious program to build physical and digital infrastructure. Specifically, the project will connect hundreds of countries from Asia to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
Many critics consider it Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy to expand his country’s global influence.
Neil Thomas, an analyst at risk consultancy Eurasia Group, announced that establishing an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative is crucial to Biden’s overall foreign policy agenda in the Indo-Pacific.
He added that the best way for Washington to compete with Beijing’s economic influence in the Indo-Pacific is to offer a more attractive development option to countries in the region.
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