For the first time since taking office, Biden will receive President Fumio Kishida and President Yoon Seok yeol at Camp David who will visit next month | Question | Yoon Seok yeol
On July 28th local time, the White House announced that US President Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol at Camp David, a US presidential resort near Washington, D.C., on July 18th.
According to a report by CNN on the 29th, the White House stated in a statement that "at this summit, the leaders of the three countries will celebrate a new chapter in trilateral relations, reaffirming their strong friendship and the unbreakable alliance between the United States, Japan, and South Korea." "The three will discuss expanding trilateral cooperation within and outside the Indo Pacific region, including addressing the ongoing threat posed by North Korea, and strengthening ties with ASEAN and Pacific islands.".
According to reports, this is the first time since Biden took office that a foreign leader has visited Camp David, and also the first time since former President Obama took office in 2015. This will be part of Biden's efforts to bring the United States closer to its major allies in Asia.
The Yomiuri Shimbun in Japan previously reported that, in addition to the trilateral talks held during international conferences, this meeting will be the first specifically held summit between the United States, Japan, and South Korea. The report also predicts that during the talks, the leaders of the three countries will reach an agreement to quickly carry out intelligence sharing against North Korean missiles, and will discuss measures to strengthen deterrence such as nuclear umbrella policies.
The Biden administration has always regarded promoting trilateral relations between the United States, Japan, and South Korea as the main focus of the Indo Pacific strategy. In the Biden administration's Indo Pacific Strategic Report, strengthening trilateral relations between the United States, Japan, and South Korea is one of the 10 action plans listed. In recent years, the United States, Japan, and South Korea have held trilateral summits multiple times and promoted trilateral consultations with heads of diplomatic, national security, military, intelligence, and other departments. The Biden administration has increased its efforts to woo the South Korean government led by Yoon Seok yeol, urging Japan and South Korea to ease tensions. The trilateral military exercises between the United States, Japan, and South Korea have also been resumed after years of interruption, involving practical subjects such as anti submarine, anti missile, and amphibious warfare.
Regarding the US, Japan, and South Korea's use of the Korean Peninsula issue as an excuse to strengthen military cooperation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated on May 9th that the essence of the Korean Peninsula issue is a political and security issue, rooted in the remnants of the Cold War and the lack of peace mechanisms. Strengthening military cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea under the pretext of the Korean Peninsula issue will not help resolve the remnants of the Cold War and promote the process of the Korean Peninsula peace mechanism. It will only exacerbate the risk of regional confrontation, undermine the already fragile mutual trust of all parties, and harm the strategic security interests of other countries. If the situation on the peninsula slides into a vicious cycle of tension, confrontation, and arms race as a result, all relevant parties cannot shirk their responsibility.