In a historic meeting, President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol bonded during a trilateral summit at the Camp David presidential retreat. They agreed to deepen security and economic cooperation, with a particular focus on addressing concerns raised by North Korea’s arms race and China’s influence in the region.
First modification:
3 min
The meeting at Camp David, an emblematic place of US diplomacy, consolidated a new permanent alliance between the three nations. This new commitment is intended to create a common front in the face of the growing weapons threat posed by North Korea and China’s growing influence in the Pacific.
One of the fundamental pillars of the alliance is the strengthening of security cooperation. The leaders agreed to establish a hotline that will allow information sharing, for example, about North Korean missile launches.
Regarding this point, it seeks to counter the nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang. These reinforcements seek to guarantee peace and stability in the region, including the Taiwan Strait.according to what was announced by the three leaders.
They agreed on a clause called “obligation to consult” in which any attack on one of the countries will be considered a threat to all, which would entail a call for consultations to decide how to respond, however, Washington rejected that the objective of the meeting was to create “a NATO for the Pacific”.
And it is that the summit has raised suspicion in Beijing. The ‘Global Times’ newspaper, affiliated with the Communist Party of the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, said this week that in the meeting the three countries sought to form a ‘Mini NATO’ structure.
Biden highlighted the importance of this trilateral alliance in an ever-changing world, saying that the commitments announced during this summit mark a step toward a less turbulent and more prosperous Indo-Pacific, and strengthen the position of the United States in the international arena.
Economic boost between the three nations
On the economic side, the United States, Japan, and South Korea will work together to establish early warning systems to anticipate disruptions in global supply chains.
Through a joint system, they will share information about possible shortages of essential products such as critical minerals, which will contribute to a greater preparation to face economic challenges.
President Biden praised the leaders of South Korea and Japan for their political courage in addressing the historic rift that marked relations between these two countries for decades, following the Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula.
“I want to acknowledge the important work that both (South Korea and Japan) have done and the political courage (…) that both have shown in resolving difficult issues that have long hampered a close relationship between Japan and Korea, with the United States,” said the Democratic president.
Relations between South Korea and Japan, historically marked by tensions due to differences in the interpretation of World War II and the Japanese colonial domination of the Korean peninsula, have experienced significant progress in recent months. The summit at Camp David sought to further strengthen the ties between these nations.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
#Biden #pushes #security #cooperation #Japan #South #Korea #Camp #David