US-Japan alliance celebrated at White House with cherry blossom pledge, state dinner for Kishida

Tokyo will be sending Washington 250 new cherry blossom trees by 2026, the White House announced on Wednesday, as the United States and Japan enter a new season of their geopolitical alliance against China in the Indo-Pacific.

"The gift is meant to mark the 250th anniversary of the US in 2026," President Joe Biden said at the official arrival ceremony to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, now on a five-day official visit to the country.

President Joe Biden, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands after a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday. Photo: AP alt=President Joe Biden, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands after a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday. Photo: AP>

Biden added that the trees would be planted at the Tidal Basin, a popular spot in the city famous for the nearly 3,000 cherry blossoms donated by Japan in 1912. In recent months, some 100 of the trees were uprooted due to construction work.

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"Like our friendship, these trees are timeless, inspiring and thriving," Biden said, adding that he and Kishida had strolled across the lawn and visited the three Japanese cherry trees at the White House on Tuesday night.

Speaking after Biden, Kishida described the centuries-old trees that adorn Washington as a "symbol of the friendship between Japan and the United States".

The national flower of Japan will also dominate the lavish state dinner hosted by the Bidens for Kishida and his wife on Wednesday evening.

Cherry blossom trees near the Capitol in Washington. Photo: Ji Siqi alt=Cherry blossom trees near the Capitol in Washington. Photo: Ji Siqi>

At a media preview of the state dinner on Tuesday, first lady Jill Biden said that a big section of the White House would transform into a "vibrant spring garden" to celebrate a "flourishing friendship".

The decor will feature sweet peas, roses, peonies, hydrangeas and cherry blossom branches along the walls, and an image of a river, swimming through which will be koi fish - a symbol of friendship, peace, luck and perseverance in Japanese culture.

The menu for about 230 guests pairs American and Japanese flavours. House-cured salmon with avocados, grapefruit, watermelon radish, cucumber and shiso leaf fritters will be served as a colourful first course.

The main course will be dry-aged rib-eye steak, shishito pepper butter and a fricassee of fava beans and morels. The dinner will conclude with a salted caramel pistachio cake, matcha ganache and cherry ice cream with a raspberry drizzle.

The menu for the state dinner honouring Kishida. Photo: Khushboo Razdan alt=The menu for the state dinner honouring Kishida. Photo: Khushboo Razdan>

The guests will dine on china from the George W Bush and Lyndon B Johnson collections as the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon performs a "selection of his iconic songs", according to the White House.

On Thursday, the Kishidas will travel to North Carolina, and on Friday will visit a Toyota plant, dine on "whole hog" barbecue with Governor Roy Cooper and hear a concert of bluegrass music, according to the governor's office.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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