Morning to you. I'm Ali Velshi. It is Sunday, May the 22nd. President Biden has pivoted to

Asia, at least for the time being. As we speak, he's in the middle of his first diplomatic trip

to the region since taking office. He landed in Japan a few hours ago after a three-day visit

to South Korea. working more closely with

Asian allies in the face of a strengthening China has been a long-sought foreign policy goal

for the Biden administration that has been stymied by other crises like the war in Ukraine

and the coronavirus pandemic. They've diverted the administration's attention from the region.

But Asia remains a big priority.

And one of the president's goals during his trip to reassert America's commitment to its allies in the region is to make it clear that it's a priority.

He's also delivering a message similar to the one that the U.S. has been projecting in its full-fledged support of Ukraine and its war against Russia, that is the

U.S. remains a force that can unify nations to stand up against the world's autocracies,

whether in the West or in the East. One of the aggressors that America wants to contain

is North Korea, which has been flaunting its nuclear arsenal recently. The country's

performed 16 missile tests so far this year, including a test of long-range, North Korea, which has been flaunting its nuclear arsenal recently. The country's performed

16 missile tests so far this year, including a test of long-range intercontinental ballistic

missiles that would be capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Senior U.S. officials are warning

that North Korea could perform another weapons test while Biden's in the region. So far, that

hasn't happened.

Now, Syria says the North Korean threat is its potential trouble comes from China, from North Korea's

strongest and closest ally. The underlying goal of President Biden's visit to Asia this week,

including his physical presence there, is to counter China's growing economic,

military, and diplomatic power. Although Joe Biden hasn't verbalized this, China has received

...