Biden to visit Japan in May for QUAD summit, huddle with Indian PM Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be huddling with United States President Joe Biden in May 2022 in Tokyo, the White House said. The leaders will be travelling to the East-Asian country for the QUAD summit, where representatives from Australia and Japan will also be present.

Biden will also be travelling to South Korea in May, likely as a detour on his trip to Asia. The United States President will be overseas from May 20 to 24.

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While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to stay in the backdrop of global politics at that time, the QUAD summit will be focused on the Indo-Pacific.

“This trip will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s rock-solid commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in the daily briefing, PTI reported.

“In Tokyo, President Biden will also meet the leaders of the QUAD grouping of Australia, Japan, India and the United States. We look forward to having further details to share about this trip soon”, the White House spokesperson added.

What is expected from the summit?

While Washington DC has not shared much about the upcoming trip, Jen Psaki said the final outcome should be to “deliver practical results,” PTI reported.

“The leaders will discuss opportunities to deepen our vital security relationships, enhance economic ties and expand our close cooperation”, she said.

The White House did not say if the world leaders will address the situation in Ukraine, or urge India to reverse its policy on Russia.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about New Delhi’s relations with Russia and that they were based on necessity, as Washington was previously unavailable to forge such relations.

“In the case of India, there is a relationship that goes back decades. And Russia, for India, was out of necessity a partner of choice when we were not in a position to be a partner”, Blinken said.