Biden, Japan's Suga Commit to Work Together to Meet China Challenge

U.S. President Joe Biden says he and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga are committed to working together to counter challenges from China and North Korea, following Biden's first White House summit since taking office. 

Biden told reporters after meeting with Suga during the one-day summit Friday that they affirmed their "ironclad support for the U.S.-Japanese alliance" and said they would work together to "take on the challenges from China and on issues like the East China Sea, the South China Sea, as well as North Korea."  The U.S. president called the discussions "very productive" and said the United States and Japan also agreed to work together to support global COVID-19 vaccination efforts as well as to promote new technological developments, including 5G networks, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.  In a response to a reporter's question, Suga said the two leaders had discussed Taiwan and said they reaffirmed the importance of "peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait. He said he would not give further details on the Taiwan discussion.