Biden to stop in isles, observe RIMPAC

Vice President Joseph Biden will make a brief layover in Hawaii this week on his way to state visits in Australia and New Zealand, the White House announced Tuesday.

Biden will attend a trilateral meeting here Thursday, hosted by Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama and South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam.

The vice president will then fly out to the nuclear aircraft carrier USS John Stennis, which will be in island waters, to observe the Rim of the Pacific war games and meet with U.S. and international troops.

Biden was to travel to Hawaii after a speech today on trade enforcement in San Diego and presentation of the Jimmy V award to television sportscaster Craig Sager at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles.

Biden will leave Oahu for Melbourne on Friday.

Biden’s itinerary calls for a meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other senior government officials in Sydney next week, hosting a roundtable discussion with Australian and American business leaders, meeting with Australian troops and delivering a major policy speech on the future of the U.S.-Australian relationship.

He will fly to New Zealand on July 20 to participate in official engagements, including a meeting with Prime Minister John Key.