diplomacy
Biden hosts ‘historic’ meeting with Japan and South Korea
US President Joe Biden is trying to form alliances in Asia. photo
© Jacquelyn Martin/AP/dpa
The US President repeatedly emphasizes the importance of an open and secure Indo-Pacific region. A tripartite summit should be understood primarily as a message to China and North Korea.
In addition, a kind of emergency hotline for quick exchange in crisis situations is to be set up between Washington, Tokyo and Seoul. Recently, North Korea’s missile launches had given cause for concern. The US government previously called the meeting at the President’s country estate “historic”.
Biden had invited Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the site in the Catoctin Mountain recreation area near Washington. According to the US government, this is the first “independent summit” between the US, Japan and South Korea. It’s also the first time Biden has used the site for a summit. “This place is reserved only for the most important and significant meetings of this type,” said a White House official. Relations between the three countries should be raised “to a new level” there.
Worried look at North Korea and China
The United States and its partners in the Indo-Pacific are concerned about North Korea’s repeated missile launches and China’s growing drive for power in the region. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have recently increased significantly. The US and other countries are also concerned about China’s trade practices and Chinese expansionism in the Indo-Pacific. Indo-Pacific means a region from the Indian to the Pacific Ocean. China has behaved “aggressively” in the region, Washington said. The United States is also critical of Beijing’s proximity to Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to the White House, the three allies’ newly agreed duty to consult is intended to ensure a rapid exchange “in the event of a regional emergency or threat”. “We will discuss ways to share information, coordinate our messages and take political action together,” it said. However, this obligation does not affect either the right of any country to self-defense under international law or existing bilateral contractual obligations. The new trilateral hotline should be used in “moments of crisis and uncertainty”.
“It’s not about taking measures to isolate China,” the White House said. A US official compared the close alliance that will emerge to the relationship between Germany and France. This initially began at the level of the heads of state and government of both countries – but was then extended to the level of the governments and the people. The aim is therefore not only to anchor the alliance in the capitals, but also on a political level, according to the US representative. It is therefore also planned to meet annually at the top level in the future.
Meeting as a “message to the world and the region”
“This historic meeting proves how important this relationship is not only for our country but also for international security,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in advance. It is also a “message to the world and the region”. The aim is to deter “possible aggressors” and to ensure “stability and security” in the region and internationally. The neighbors South Korea and Japan are dependent on the nuclear protective umbrella of the USA to deter North Korea, among others.
Previously there had been reports that the United States wanted to develop modern missiles to intercept hypersonic missiles together with Japan. The White House did not confirm this in advance. Hypersonic weapons, such as those developed by North Korea, but also by China and Russia, have so far been difficult to intercept because of their high speed and maneuverability.
US President Biden’s administration is making great efforts to strengthen its alliances in Asia in view of the conflict over North Korea and the increasingly powerful China. Japan and South Korea are among the most important US allies in Asia. However, the two countries have a rather frosty relationship for historical reasons – but they have recently come closer and agreed on a new start in the difficult relationship. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. Many Koreans were taken to Japan for forced labor during the war.