US, South Korea, and Japan Condemn China, Agree to Deepen Military Ties

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed at Camp David to deepen military and economic ties and issued the strongest joint condemnation to date of China's "dangerous and aggressive behavior" in the South China Sea, Reuters reported.

Biden's administration held a summit with the leaders of the US's key allies in Asia, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in an attempt to project unity in confronting China's growing power and North Korea's nuclear threats.

In a joint statement at the summit, the three countries pledged to consult each other rapidly during crises and coordinate responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting their common interests. They also agreed to hold trilateral military exercises annually and to share real-time information on North Korean missile launches by the end of 2023.

The countries promised to hold trilateral summits every year. The summit in Maryland was the first standalone meeting between the US, Japan, and South Korea, and it came about thanks to a rapprochement initiated by Yoon, driven by shared perceptions of the threats posed by China and North Korea, as well as Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Japan and South Korea have serious disagreements over Tokyo's conduct towards Korea during World War II. The leaders' language on China was stronger than expected and will likely provoke a response from Beijing, which is a vital trading partner for both South Korea and Japan.

"We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific," the statement said. Standing with Kishida and Yoon, Biden praised the leaders for their political courage in seeking to come closer. He said they realized the world was "at a turning point, where we are called to lead in new ways, to work together, to stand together."

"Together we will stand up for international law" and against "coercion," Biden said.
Without mentioning China, Kishida said that "unilateral attempts to forcibly change the status quo in the East and South China Seas continue," adding that the North Korean nuclear and missile threat "is only growing."

Yoon said the agreement from the summit means that "any provocations or attacks on any of our three countries will trigger the decision-making process of this trilateral framework, and our solidarity will become even stronger and firmer."