Biden and Kishida pledge to cooperate to take US-Japan alliance ‘to new heights’

September 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –

US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have pledged to work together to strengthen the alliance between the countries and cooperate on security, economic and diplomatic issues to take their bilateral relations to a higher level.

“The two leaders pledged to continue efforts to take the U.S.-Japan alliance to new heights and to remain united as strong global partners,” the White House said in a statement issued after a meeting between the two leaders in Wilmington, Delaware, United States.

During their meeting, Biden and Kishida reiterated their “determination” to maintain peace and security both regionally and globally, placing particular emphasis on the need to ensure the stability of the Taiwan Strait.

Along these lines, both have expressed their rejection of “any attempt to change the status quo by force” in the region and have discussed their respective diplomatic relations with China, as well as “their shared concerns about the coercive and destabilizing activities” of this country, including its actions in the South China Sea.

The US president praised “the visionary and courageous leadership of the Japanese prime minister over the past three years,” saying that “he has fundamentally improved Japan’s defense capabilities and transformed its role in the world.”

Biden also thanked the Japanese government for its support “in matters of defense of the Alliance,” its efforts to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” and its “determined and principled support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal aggression.”