Bloomberg reports that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will become the first foreign leader to hold a face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden in a summit planned for April 16.

The meeting in Washington demonstrates the importance the U.S. attaches to relations with Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said in announcing the trip. “The U.S. and Japan share the basic values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law,” he added.

The timing of the summit with the U.S.’s most powerful ally in Asia underscores the Biden administration’s focus on shoring up ties with partners in the region, as it tries to pressure China over everything from human rights to trade and the global coronavirus vaccine rollout. Japan walks a narrow line as it seeks to maintain close ties with its only military ally, the U.S., while avoiding damage to economic ties with its biggest trade partner, China.