Biden-Yoon Suk-yeol's summit focuses on N Korea, China's regional dominance & trade ties

US President Joe Biden, on May 20, landed at South Korea's Osan Air Base on the first leg of his Asia tour aimed at bolstering Washington's commitment to the Indo-Pacific and countering China's growing regional dominance with a focus aligned on Russia's brutal war on Ukraine. "The future of the world is going to be written here, in the Indo-Pacific," US President iterated as he deflected China’s sabre-rattling and economic influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Biden also made strides against the nuclear-armed North Korean regime, conducting the latest nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles posing the threat to the world order and the regional security, particularly to two staunch allies of Washington-- Tokyo and Seoul. 

Key highlights from Biden-Yoon Seok-youl summit

As he embarked on the 5-day diplomatic mission to Asia, the President of the United States met with newly elected leader South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, on May 20, and attended a state dinner before making an appearance at a presser in Seoul. Biden, who is expected to visit the US troops in the ally nation, and announce new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework initiatives to expand and fortify trade in Asia, pledged to boost the historic alliance between the Republic of Korea and Washington in the face of the communist regime's belligerence. 

Marking his first-ever visit to Asia after being elected US President, Biden spoke alongside his South Korean counterpart, wherein he underscored his administration’s diplomatic and economic commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. Before kick-starting his tour, Biden had outlined the new foreign investments and had approved the Democratic-majority backed "America COMPETES Act of 2022" by 222-210 in the House of Representatives. The multibillion-dollar bill focused on enhancing  American competitiveness with China and boosting US semiconductor manufacturing domestically, shrinking the import of technology. 

Speaking at the press conference on May 21, Biden and his South Korean counterpart President Yoon Suk-yeol took turns to pledge the advancements in the technology sector between the two countries. “Our two nations work together to make the best, most advanced technology in the world, and this factory is proof of that,” Biden said as he visited the Samsung Electronics Co. semiconductor complex to boost supply chains that cut off the reliance on Beijing. “I’ve just seen how this plant makes the most advanced semiconductor chips in the world,” Biden said during the tour of the facility. 

Biden labelled the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America "a lynchpin of peace, stability, and prosperity for a region of the world that we seek." He made commitments to bolster trade relations with South Korea to foster ties that are “based on advanced technology and supply chain cooperation." Biden swore to upgrade US-South Korea relations “into an economic-security alliance.”

The President of the United States highlighted that there can be no trade-off between Europe and Asia and that only the United States will bring together democracies of the East and West to counter the aggression from Russia, China and North Korea in both the spheres of the globe. His geopolitical manoeuvring aims at strengthening the supply chains and making them more "resilient, reliable and secure" as his own country United States struggles with the economic and political implications of uncontrollable inflation due to Russia's war in Ukraine. 

“The decisions we make today [in Indo Pacific] will have far-reaching impacts on the world," said Biden. He invoked Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “brutal and unprovoked war in Ukraine," explaining why supply chains must not depend on “countries that don’t share our values," without naming China. 

Seoul's President Yoon emphasised that the US-South Korea's trade cooperation and manufacturing of the semiconductor technology is of utmost significance and that the two allies would invest in its development as it will be the “national security assets for our future.” 

“I look forward to today’s visit translating into the U.S.-South Korea partnership blossoming into an economic and security alliance based on our partnership for our advanced technologies and the global supply chain,” Yoon stressed. 

As Biden is on his visit to Asia, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby cited intelligence from Washington, Seoul and Tokyo that DPRK could launch a test missile to prove that it is “trying to advance their programme and their capabilities." Kirby condemned North Korea for “destabilising to the region.”

Biden, in Seoul, noted the importance of denuclearizing Pyongyang which, he asserted has pursued aggressive expansion of nuclear weapons since 2019 in retaliatory measures to Washington's sanctions. Pyongyang’s nuclear programme topped the agenda in Biden’s talks in Seoul. 

While the US President headed for the Asia tour, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the United States is “coordinated closely” with both South Korea and Japan on North Korea's ambitious nuclear missile programme. 

“There is a genuine possibility, a real risk of some kind of provocation while we’re in the region, whether in South Korea or in Japan, that could take the form of a nuclear test, the seventh nuclear test that North Korea’s conducted. It could take the form of a missile test,” Sullivan told reporters onboard Air Force One. 

“If something does occur, it will only serve to reinforce and highlight the fact that the United States is going to be engaged in the Indo-Pacific, is going to be a stalwart ally, and is going to stand up to and not shrink from any acts of aggression,” Sullivan reportedly said in a statement made on Air Force One while he travelled to South Korea with Biden. 

Washington aims to assume 'more assertive role' in Indo-Pacific, global stage

The US President highlighted that with the help of the South Korean alliance, Washington will assume a more assertive role on the global stage, particularly in Indo Pacific. He underscored the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific that is "prosperous and peaceful, and agree to strengthen mutual cooperation across the region."

Biden acknowledged President Yoon’s initiative to formulate ROK’s own Indo-Pacific strategy framework, while Yoon welcomed the US Indo-Pacific Strategy. The two leaders, during the visit, agreed to work closely through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), "based on the principles of openness, transparency, and inclusiveness." Biden and Yoon pledged support for ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. 

Yoon also noted that he wants South Korea to step up ties beyond military coordination to the economic and strategic commitments and expand its alliance with the United States. He also stated that his goverment will maintain a tougher approach on China. 

Biden will convene a summit of the leaders of the QUAD that includes US, Japan, India and Australia as he will head to Tokyo. He is aslo expected to launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) an arragement that focus on supply chains, worker protections, decarbonisation and anti-corruption among the key Asian allies under the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy. The White House, in a statement, said that Biden's Asia visit will send a “powerful message” to Beijing, as well as the other communist nations that what exactly the world could look like if democracies “stand together to shape the rules of the road".