US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense visits Japan and South Korea

The Japan and South Korea to be visited by US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense later this month Anthony Blinken and Lloyd Austin to discuss foreign policy and security issues, three government sources with direct knowledge of the issue said on Thursday.

Visits to these countries will be the first US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense Joe Biden will take over the presidency in January, reflecting growing concerns in Washington about the escalating threat of nuclear and missile programs, as well as US nuclear and missile programs.

Blinken and Austin will have “2 plus 2” dialogues with their counterparts from Japan and South Korea, sources told Reuters.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said he could not immediately confirm any reports of planned visits by officials, but stressed that Washington is essentially committed to the India-Pacific region.

Sources said US officials would be in Japan on March 17, while South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that talks were under way on the two ministers’ two-day visit to Seoul from March 17. However the exact schedule has not yet been confirmed.

The United States seeks to strengthen its ties with key allies, as China takes a gradually more aggressive approach to its foreign policy for the India-Pacific region and elsewhere in the world.

A 24-page summary of the president’s national security policies Joe Biden released this week, the US described China as “its only competitor, capable of combining economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to be a constant challenge to a stable and open international system.”