US, South Korea, Japan strengthen military ties at Camp David

The Biden administration held a summit with the leaders of key US allies in Asia, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a show of unity in the face of regional instability.

In a joint statement from the summit, the three countries pledged to promptly consult each other in crises and coordinate responses to challenges, provocations and threats that affect common interests.

They also agreed to hold annual trilateral military exercises and share real-time information on North Korean missile launches. The countries pledged to hold annual trilateral summits.

The language from the three leaders on China was harsh, saying Beijing was engaging in “dangerous and aggressive actions in support of unlawful maritime claims… in the Indo- Pacific waters,” which is likely to provoke a response from China, a major trading partner for both South Korea and Japan.

This is President Biden's first Camp David summit for foreign leaders, and he said the wooded area has long symbolized "the power of new beginnings and new possibilities."

Standing alongside Kishida and Yoon, Biden praised the leaders of Japan and South Korea for their political courage in pursuing rapprochement, saying they understood the world was “at a turning point where we are called upon to lead in new ways, working together, standing together.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kishisa said: "Unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and the South China Sea are continuing," adding that the missile and nuclear threat in the region "is becoming greater and greater."

President Yoon said the agreement means that “any provocation or attack against any of our three countries will trigger a decision-making process under this trilateral framework.”

China has warned that US efforts to strengthen ties with South Korea and Japan could “increase tensions and confrontation in the region”. Beijing also believes Washington is trying to isolate it diplomatically and surround it militarily.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, Kyodo, Yonhap)