In a blow to his goal of “promoting summit diplomacy” in 2022, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will have to settle for virtual talks with U.S. President Joe Biden instead of an in-person meeting this month.
Kishida and Biden will hold an online meeting on Friday, the White House announced Monday, as the two allies look to deepen ties in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Kishida had initially pushed for an in-person meeting with Biden before the opening of parliament’s regular session Monday. The spread of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus in both countries, however, effectively dashed those hopes.