WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Biden will host Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the White House on Monday, at some point earlier than the U.S. chief leaves for San Francisco to attend a summit of Asian leaders.
The two presidents will share a day tea and meet with high advisers, based on senior administration officers who insisted on anonymity to preview the schedule.
They can even discuss methods to develop the commerce of important minerals like nickel, which can be utilized to supply electrical automobile batteries. Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of nickel.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned they “will explore opportunities to enhance cooperation on the clean energy transition, advance economic prosperity, bolster regional peace and stability, and reinforce our people-to-people ties.”
Biden‘s meeting with Widodo comes shortly before he sits down with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Indonesia is the world’s third-largest democracy — after India and the United States — and a key participant in Southeast Asia. The U.S. has been working to strengthen relationships within the area in hopes of deterring China’s affect, and Vice President Kamala Harris attended a summit there in September.
However, occasions within the Middle East are anticipated to intrude on the agenda.
Widodo can be arriving within the U.S. after making a earlier cease in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a summit of Muslim leaders. While there, he joined in requires a ceasefire and denounced the Israeli bombardment and invasion of Gaza, which started after Hamas attacked on Oct. 7.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation, and a senior administration official mentioned “their views and their engagement are critical” on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The official mentioned Biden would search to have Widodo “play a larger role” within the Middle East, though it was unclear precisely what that might entail.
