Suga to meet with Biden on sidelines of G7 summit

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is arranging to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Britain next week, government sources said Friday.

In what would be their second meeting, following Suga’s visit to Washington in April, the leaders are expected to affirm cooperation amid China’s growing economic and military influence as well as on efforts toward North Korea’s denuclearization.

According to the sources, Suga may also meet separately with other G7 leaders as well as his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.

The G7 — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — will hold a summit in Cornwall in southwestern England from June 11 to 13, with the leaders of Australia, India, South Africa and South Korea invited as guests.

Suga and Biden are also set to discuss global issues including the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, and may also be joined by South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a trilateral meeting, the sources said.

The Biden administration in late April said it completed a monthslong review of North Korea policy that calls for “calibrated and practical” diplomacy aimed at increasing the security of the United States and its allies.

Suga and Morrison, who last met in November in Tokyo, are expected to affirm cooperation as Australia faces mounting economic pressure from China, its largest trade partner.

Britain, France and Germany are also looking to counter Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, including by sending warships through the disputed waters, and talks between Suga and their leaders are likely to focus on efforts to realize a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region.