Asia trip gives Biden chance to show off diplomatic cred
December 3, 2013
Washington (CNN) – Vice President Joe Biden faces a very delicate task this week as he makes a diplomatic visit to East Asia in hopes of turning down the volume on an increasingly noisy territorial tug of war. The spotlight also provides Biden with an opportunity to remind people why Barack Obama chose him as his running mate and to tout his strong suit as he’s mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2016.
Biden’s first stop was Tokyo, where longtime ally Japan and the United States are pushing back against China’s recent declaration of a restricted flight zone over parts of the East China Sea that include some islands claimed by both China and Japan.
In a meeting on Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Biden said the United States was “deeply concerned by the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea.”