Saturday 12 November 2022 01:35 AM Biden touches down in Cambodia where he will huddle with allies amid North ... trends now
President Joe Biden landed in Phnom Penh Saturday for the second leg of his international trip, with North Korea's escalating missile launches and Russia's war in Ukraine providing a tense backdrop to the confab.
Biden is here for the annual ASEAN summit of southeast Asian nations, but the war in Europe and a nuclear threat to key allies and the U.S. mainland loom.
In a demonstration of the threat, Biden has plans to huddle with two key partners, South Korea and Japan, following a series of provocative North Korean ballistic missile tests.
Experts have raised concerns about the Hwasong-17 ICBM that North Korea fired on November 2. A larger missile could reach inside the U.S mainland while carrying multiple warheads.
President Joe Biden begins two days of meetings with world leaders at the ASEAN summit in Cambodia
U.S. officials are not ruling out what would be North Korea's seventh nuclear test. Dictatory Kim Jong-un has a history of using high profile events to seek attention and gain leverage through shows of military prowess.
National Security Council advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters en route to Cambodia the leaders would specifically discuss 'the threats posed by North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.'
That would happen in both bilateral meetings and a three-way discussion.
Sullivan has specifically pointed to the prospect North Korea would conduct its seventh nuclear test 'at some point in this broader timeframe,' in reference to Biden's trip.
'And by “broader,” I mean we've been talking about this now for a couple of months. That window still remains open. Our concern still remains real. Whether it happens in the next week or not, I can't say,' he specified last week.
He cited the potential both for long-range missile tests and the possibility of a nuclear test.
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