Biden to voice ‘deep concern’ over N. Korean troop dispatch to Russia in summit with Xi this week

Washington: US President Joe Biden is expected to express “deep concern” over North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia during a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping set to take place on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru this week, a senior US administration official said.

Biden and Xi are set to meet in Lima on Saturday for what could be their last in-person summit as Presidents, Yonhap news agency reported.

The meeting will come as both Seoul and Washington have confirmed that North Korean troops, who have been deployed to Russia’s western front-line Kursk region, have begun engaging in combat against Ukrainian forces.

“I expect the President will express deep concern over China’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine as well as the deployment of over 10,000 North Korean troops to Russia, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces,” the official said on Wednesday in an online press briefing.

“We are increasingly concerned about the consequences for longer-term stability in both Europe and even the Pacific of this deployment,” the official added.

The North Korean troops at issue have been dispatched to Kursk after receiving training in eastern Russia. They have been provided with Russian uniforms and equipment as Russians have trained them in artillery, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and basic infantry operations, according to US officials.

Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, has pointed out a series of challenges for the North Korean troops to overcome, including interoperability, language barriers, and command and control and communications.

North Korea’s troop deployment has been a source of growing security concerns for the US, South Korea, and other countries as it underscores a deepening military partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow, which observers say could expand the war in Ukraine and affect security on the Korean Peninsula as well.

Calls have emerged for Beijing to play a constructive role in addressing North Korea’s troop dispatch given its perceived influence over Pyongyang.

During the summit with Xi, Biden is expected to take stock of progress in a series of areas that Washington and Beijing have made since their summit in Woodside, California, last year, including the resumption of military-to-military communication and counternarcotics cooperation, according to the official.

Biden is also likely to underscore the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and express his concerns over China’s activities around Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

“Over the last four years, the two countries have advanced areas of shared interest, and even amidst deep differences and intense competition, (they) worked to do so,” the official said.

“Throughout his time in office, President Biden has emphasised the importance of responsibly managing one of the world’s most consequential relationships.”

The upcoming bilateral meeting will be the third in-person summit between Biden and Xi since Biden took office in January 2021.

The Presidents previously met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali in 2022 and the APEC summit in California in 2023.

–IANS