Kishida, Biden Agree to Cooperate Closely over China

Jiji Press

11:43 JST, November 18, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday agreed to work closely together to tackle issues involving China, following Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping the previous day.

The Japanese and U.S. leaders also affirmed the importance of cooperating with China over common issues.

Kishida told reporters after the meeting in San Francisco that he was invited by Biden to visit the United States as a state guest at an early date next year.

At their meeting, Kishida told Biden that Japan-U.S. cooperation has become more important than ever to address a range of issues in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region, which include China and North Korea.

Biden said that he aims to further strengthen cooperation with Japan.

Kishida and Biden condemned Hamas’ attacks on Israel and agreed to work together to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and achieve a two-state solution, which envisions the coexistence of Israel and a viable Palestinian state.

The two leaders also agreed to maintain sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and continue offering assistance to Ukraine.

Separately, Kishida, Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had brief conversations and agreed to deepen the three countries’ cooperation.