United States President Joe Biden began his Asian visit in South Korea, wherein he toured a Samsung microchip plant. He is also scheduled to visit Japan on his six-day trip.
Biden went around the plant, which will serve as a standard for a $17 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility the electronics company is building near Austin, Texas, according to a report from CBS News.
Despite the attention on Russia's invasion of Ukraine since February, Biden's trip is intended to show that he hasn't forgotten about US strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific.
However, Biden's visit to the region is met with a showcase of military power by China and North Korea.
Chinese authorities confirmed the commencement of military operations in the disputed South China Sea before Mr. Biden arrived in South Korea.
China's military drills were scheduled to last until Monday, a day before the president's summit with fellow leaders in the Quad, an Indo-Pacific strategic alliance that includes Australia, India, and Japan. The talks will be held in Tokyo.
The four countries, concerned about China's increasing regional aggressiveness and military capabilities, are campaigning for a free and open Indo-Pacific, per ABC News.
China sees the coalition as part of a US-led effort to obstruct its economic and political advancement and quash its attempts to force Taiwan into embracing its ambition for unification with the mainland.
White House Is Prepared For 'Genuine' Risks
According to a report from The Guardian, the White House has prepared for a North Korean missile or nuclear test while President Biden visits allies in the region.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a media briefing that US intelligence "does reflect the genuine possibility that there will be either a further missile test, including long-range missile test or a nuclear test or frankly both in the days leading into, on or after the president's trip to the region."
Sullivan added that they have prepared "all contingencies" that include the "possibility of such provocation" during President Biden's visit to Korea or Japan.
Joe Bermudez, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), warned that North Korea could conduct its first nuclear weapons test in three years "as soon as the end of the month," as per a CBS report.
If not a nuclear test, the North might add to its historic year of missile launches by firing another long-range rocket - potentially when Biden is in the region.
US Navy Ensures Security in the Region During Biden's Visit
North Korea has conducted a series of ballistic missile tests this year under the orders of its leader Kim Jong Un. Several rockets designed to carry nuclear warheads could reach the US mainland.
Pyongyang has already overturned a moratorium on testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that were imposed in 2018. However, there is also a moratorium on nuclear weapons testing, and the country has not fired any nuclear weapons since then, according to NPR.
Meanwhile, the 7th fleet announced that the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike team left their port at Yokosuka, Japan, "routine at-sea period."
The ships and the carrier air wing are expected to work with allies and partners, promote adherence to a rules-based international order, "as well as maintain presence and flexibility to meet the needs of the US Department of Defense," the Navy said.
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