The president of USA, Joe Bidenhosted its prime minister yesterday Friday (18/8) at Camp David Japan Fumio Kishida and its president South Korea Yoon Sok-gel for a tripartite summit that he called “historic” and sent a resounding message of unity with the recipient Chinabut also the North Korea.
The three leaders said at a press conference that Washington, Tokyo and Seoul will consult systematically and directly in the future to deal with “threats”.
Biden praised the “political courage” of his guests, who are making efforts to overcome historical differences stemming from the period of Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula (1910-1945).
“We are not talking about a day, a week or a month. It is about decades” of cooperation, assured the American president, referring to the tripartite summitwhich sparked criticism from Beijing.
In a joint statement released Friday, the United States, Japan and South Korea condemned it Beijing’s “dangerous and aggressive behavior” and “illegal maritime claims” amid tension between China and the Philippines over a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.
“We strongly oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific maritime region”the three leaders state in the joint statement, in which they also underline the “importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.
The leaders of the US, Japan and South Korea called on North Korea to “abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs”. They also announced multi-year joint military exercises and the creation of a top-level communication channel, a “red phone” for developments in the region, where there is concern over North Korea’s nuclear program and a possible Chinese military invasion of Taiwan.
Accepting comment of the Chinese Foreign Ministry
Beijing did not hide its annoyance with the trilateral summit at Camp David. Addressing the leaders of South Korea and Japan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently pointedly commented: “You can dye your hair blonde or thin your nose as much as you want. You will never become European or Western”.
“We must know where our roots are” he stressed, urging Tokyo and Seoul to work with Beijing.
The White House is well aware that a section of public opinion both in Japan and, above all, in South Korea does not look favorably on the Tokyo-Seoul rapprochement. The biggest challenge for Washington is to continue the tripartite cooperation after the change of people in power. For example, South Korean President Yun’s term ends in 2027 and he is not eligible for re-election.
Biden reiterates that he will meet with Xi Jinping in the fall
Meanwhile, Joe Biden said he always expects to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who is expected in November in the US for the Asia-Pacific (APEC) summit.
“I hope to continue the conversation we had in Bali in the fall. I discount this”, Mr. Biden said. He was referring to his meeting with Mr Xi in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia, during a G20 summit.
And although last week he described China as a “ticking time bomb in many ways”, referring in particular to the Asian giant’s unemployment rate and aging population.
Speaking during a visit to Utah, he added that this was cause for concern, as “when bad people have problems, they do bad things.”
However, he assured once again that he wants to Washington to have a “reasonable relationship” with Beijing. “I don’t want any harm to come to China, but I’m watching”he added.
In late June, the US president caused irritation in Beijing when he labeled his counterpart Xi Jinping a “dictator”. This comment was taken as a “provocation” by Chinese diplomacy.
Mr. Biden’s administration has recently resumed high-level contacts with China, with a series of visits by top officials to Beijing, starting with that of the head of American diplomacy, Anthony Blinken.
The specific trip was intended for the two sides to turn the page on the most recent episode that raised the tension between them to the skies, the case of the Chinese hot air balloon that the US called “spy” and sent an F-22 fighter to shoot it down in February.
Source: News Beast
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