Anchorage skies will be quiet once again for the second time in a week, as Air Force One will touch down at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, creating temporary flight restrictions in Southcentral Alaska. The airspace in the region will be restricted from 7-11:30 am Alaska Time on Tuesday, May 24. Most commercial flights will operate normally, but private planes will be kept from the sky during the temporary flight restrictions.
President Joe Biden is returning to the nation’s capital from a trip to Asia, which included Korea and Japan, where he met with leaders of Pacific Rim nations. It was Biden’s first trip to Asia as U.S. president. One of the goals of the trip was to send a signal to China and North Korea that America’s engagement in the Pacific Rim remains strong and alliances with South Korea and Japan are unwavering.
On Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan, Biden launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity with a dozen initial partners: Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Together, the countries represent 40% of world Gross Domestic Product.
“The United States is an Indo-Pacific economic power, and expanding U.S. economic leadership in the region is good for American workers and businesses — as well as for the people of the region. IPEF will enable the United States and our allies to decide on rules of the road that ensure American workers, small businesses, and ranchers can compete in the Indo-Pacific. As the President has said, tackling inflation is a top economic priority, and this framework will help lower costs by making our supply chains more resilient in the long term, protecting us against costly disruptions that lead to higher prices for consumers,” the White House said.
