Aug. 22 (UPI) — President Joe Biden will attend next month’s Group of 20 Leaders’ summit in New Delhi, India, as Vice President Kamala Harris travels to Jakarta, Indonesia to attend the U.S.-ASEAN and East Asia summits, the White House announced Tuesday.
Biden will travel to New Delhi on Sept. 7. The G20 leaders’ summit, which is scheduled for Sept. 9 to 10, will include discussions on a range of global issues from climate change to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“He’ll discuss a range of joint efforts to tackle global issues from clean energy transition and combating climate change to mitigating the economic and social impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine to increasing the capacity of multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, to better fight poverty and take on the significant transnational challenges that are afflicting countries across the world,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday.
The president will also reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the economic cooperation of the G20 by committing to host the summit in 2026.
Earlier in the month, Harris will take part in the U.S.-ASEAN summit and the East Asia Summit from Sept. 4 to 7. This is the vice president’s third trip to Southeast Asia in the past two years. She visited Singapore and Vietnam in August 2021, as well as Thailand and the Philippines last November.
Biden attended the U.S.-ASEAN and East Asia Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in November. Harris’ visit next month is expected to build on those meetings and relations with leaders from the Indo-Pacific.
Harris is expected to advance initiatives with the 10 member states of ASEAN to promote shared security and prosperity. Among the topics to be covered are the climate crisis, maritime security, infrastructure, economic growth, efforts to uphold and strengthen international rules, as well as other global challenges, according to the White House.
Next week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will travel to Beijing and Shanghai for meetings with U.S. business leaders and senior China officials. Discussions will focus on the U.S.-China commercial relationship and areas for potential cooperation.
Raimondo’s three-day trip, starting Sunday, comes after Biden’s meeting with President Xi Jinping during last year’s G20 summit where the two leaders discussed China’s intentions towards Taiwan and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
