US President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea at the start of his first Asian tour since taking office, in what fears that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test by the way, and then he will head to Tokyo, where he will participate in the regional summit of the Quad alliance, which includes Australia, India, Japan and the United States. United.

A US official said President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Seok-yeol will discuss nuclear cooperation and the threat posed by North Korea during their first bilateral meeting on Saturday.

The senior Biden administration official added that Washington is ready for diplomacy with North Korea and willing to work with other countries in the region to help with issues including the "extremely serious" COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country.

From Osan Air Base, where his plane landed yesterday, Biden headed to a semiconductor factory belonging to the South Korean giant Samsung in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May.

Biden said in his first statements after his arrival that the alliance between the United States and South Korea is "one of the pillars of peace, stability and prosperity" in the world.


Samsung Factory

The choice of the Samsung factory to be the first stop on its journey was not arbitrary, as the supply of semiconductors, which is essential in the manufacture of most modern devices, from phones to cars and high-tech weapons, is witnessing a shortage within the general slowdown in global supply chains that threatens to undermine the economic recovery from the Covid epidemic.

Biden stressed the need for South Korea and the United States to work to "maintain the resilience, reliability, and integrity of our supply chains."

For his part, President Yoon noted that South Korea provides about 70 percent of the world's semiconductor production.

He also considered that Biden's visit could help the two countries form "a new economic and security alliance based on advanced technology and cooperation in relation to supply chains."

quadruple alliance

After Seoul, the US President will travel Sunday to Tokyo, where he will participate in the regional summit of the Quad Alliance, which includes Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

New Delhi has so far refused to condemn Moscow's attack on the neighboring country and has resisted attempts to include it in the international move against Russia.

The Quad Alliance for Security Dialogue (Quad), which includes Washington, Tokyo, Canberra and New Delhi, is united to form a counterforce to China's growing economic, military and technological influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

The QUAD alliance is meeting at a time when many warn that Beijing is closely monitoring the international response to the invasion of Ukraine and considering its options for the "reunification" of Taiwan with mainland China.

The North Korea issue may be dominated by the summit at a time when Washington reports that it is preparing for new missile launches, and perhaps also for a nuclear test.


Japanese fears

Japan also expresses fears of the Chinese presence around disputed islands between the two countries, while talks are intensifying on ways to respond to Chinese threats to Taiwan.

On Wednesday, the Japanese foreign minister held talks for the first time in six months with his Chinese counterpart, calling on Beijing to play a "responsible role" in the international arena.

For its part, Beijing warned that the information that Washington and Tokyo "will join forces" against China, will reflect negatively on the atmosphere.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said aboard Air Force One that the United States wanted to "emphasise an image of what the world would be like if democracies and open societies came together to dictate the rules of action (according to) the American sense of leadership."

"We consider that this message will reach Beijing. But it is not a negative message and is not directed at one country," he added.

Also, China and Taiwan will be at the forefront.

North Korean provocation

Seoul and Washington expect Pyongyang to immediately resume nuclear tests, after it conducted six tests between 2006 and 2017.

The Biden administration confirmed before his departure from Washington that, according to US intelligence, there is a "real possibility" that North Korea will take a "provocative" act after Joe Biden's arrival in Seoul.

That could mean "new missile tests, long-range missile tests or a nuclear test, or both" before, during or after Biden's tour, Sullivan said.

Jake Sullivan also confirmed that North Korea's nuclear test would lead to "adjustments in the status of our armed forces in the region," but denied that such an event would be seen as a setback for Joe Biden's diplomacy.

The United States will unveil an initiative known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a new trade grouping that is a way to build supply chains without China.

This new initiative follows Washington's sudden withdrawal in 2017 from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which includes countries from Asia, the Pacific and the American continent.

However, any common position may collide with differences with India, the only country in the Quad alliance that has so far refrained from condemning Moscow after launching its attack on Ukraine, and even increased its oil imports from Russia despite the criticism.