International Observation | The Dangerous Plot of the David Camp Meeting between the United States, Japan, and South Korea | The United States | Camp David | Danger

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 17th - The dangerous plot of the David Camp meeting between the United States, Japan, and South Korea

Xinhua News Agency reporter

The leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea will hold talks on the 18th at Camp David, the presidential resort in Maryland, USA. It is reported that this meeting aims to strengthen cooperation between the United States and its two allies, Japan and South Korea, involving multiple fields such as military, technology, and economy. The leaders of the three countries will also promote the institutionalization of trilateral meetings.

Analysts point out that the US is actively promoting this meeting with the aim of further piecing together a "small circle" with Japan and South Korea, inciting confrontation between camps, and using the strategic security of other countries as a stepping stone to maintain American style hegemony, which may seriously threaten peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia Pacific region.

On April 24th, US President Biden attended an event at the White House in Washington, D.C. Shen Jizhong

Piecing together the US, Japan, and South Korea military alliance

This meeting will be the first trilateral meeting held separately by leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea outside of an international conference. It is the first time that US President Biden has invited a foreign leader to visit Camp David since taking office in 2021, and also the first time a foreign leader has visited Camp David since 2015.

The public opinion points out that the US has chosen to hold a meeting at the highly symbolic Camp David, highlighting the level of importance that the US attaches to this event. Japan and South Korea are both allies of the United States and have signed a joint defense treaty with the United States. Washington hopes to strengthen cooperation with Japan and South Korea, especially in strengthening military alliances.

On the 15th, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Japan and South Korea "core allies" of the United States in India, the Pacific and even the world, saying that the leaders of the three countries are expected to reach agreement on the way to "further institutionalize" the trilateral cooperation framework.

Former Japanese Foreign Ministry official Sun Qixiang said that the United States invited Japanese and South Korean leaders to Camp David for talks in order to give special significance to the trilateral talks. In addition to the Peninsula issue, its core agenda will be to promote military and economic security cooperation among the three parties. The United States and Japan may also reach an agreement in bilateral talks on jointly developing a new type of interception missile.

According to South Korean media predictions, this summit will discuss major topics such as the common blueprint and basic principles of trilateral cooperation, the construction of a multi-level cooperation system, and cooperation plans to address the North Korean nuclear issue. In addition, the three parties will coordinate their positions on relevant issues of international conferences such as the upcoming ASEAN Summit and the G20 Leaders Meeting. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also plans to mention the issue of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge during the talks, hoping to gain understanding and support from the United States and South Korea.

Visiting Professor Quan Qizhi from Seoul Media University in South Korea pointed out that the main purpose of the United States in advancing this meeting is to form a "small circle" in Northeast Asia, attempting to promote trilateral military cooperation.

On October 4, 2021, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a press conference at the Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo, Japan. Shen Jizhong

In addition, the website of the Wall Street Journal in the United States reported that the leaders of the three countries are expected to announce annual cross service joint military exercises, and a hotline between the leaders of the three countries is also under construction.

The conflict between South Korea and Japan is still difficult to resolve

Analysts point out that although the United States is actively wooing Japan and South Korea in an attempt to promote reconciliation and make the trilateral relationship between the United States, Japan, and South Korea closer and more lasting, the historical issues between Japan and South Korea are difficult to resolve, and the current contradictions are difficult to bridge in the short term.

There are already many voices in South Korea calling on the South Korean government to carefully promote cooperation with the United States and Japan. According to Quan Qizhi, most Koreans believe that Japan has not apologized or reflected on its colonial rule and war crimes in South Korea. Instead, it is now forcefully pushing for the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea, causing great concern among neighboring countries, including South Korea. The normalization of relations between South Korea and Japan, which was achieved due to the oppression and appeasement of the United States, was not the true normalization of relations that the South Korean people hoped for without Japan making the first changes. The historical issues and the sovereignty issue of Dokdo remain contradictions in the development of South Korea Japan relations. Although they have been temporarily alleviated, they have not been fundamentally resolved and may rebound in the future, causing a regression of South Korea Japan relations.

On April 25th, in Seoul, South Korea, people held up signs to protest against the Japanese government's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea. Shen Jizhong

Honorary Professor Akihito from Yamaguchi University in Japan believes that historical and economic issues between Japan and South Korea should be resolved through a series of discussions among relevant parties. The United States, for its own selfish interests, attempts to forcibly resolve the issue between Japan and South Korea, making it difficult for the two countries to achieve historical reconciliation.

Harming peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region

Analysts point out that the United States is making great efforts to bring Japan and South Korea together, which is caused by Cold War thinking. It is selling security anxiety in the Asia Pacific region, inciting confrontation, and using "small circles" and group politics to harm the strategic security of other countries and maintain the United States' global hegemony. This move is against the trend of the times and has no benefits but harms the regional situation. Asian countries should never be willing to serve as pawns of American hegemony.

On the 15th, a commentary article was published on the website of the bimonthly issue of Foreign Affairs in the United States, stating that the intention of the United States to promote trilateral relations between the United States, Japan, and South Korea reflects its strategy to respond to geopolitical competition by strengthening institutions and alliances to enhance US power. At the same time, strengthening trilateral cooperation may lead to further escalation of tensions on the peninsula.

Visiting Professor Izuki Nishimoto of East Japan International University pointed out that the United States needs to link the long-standing opposition between Japan and South Korea, form the so-called "Northeast Asia Alliance", intensify the confrontation between Japan and South Korea and other Asian countries, and enjoy the benefits of fishing for itself. Japan and South Korea are just pawns for the United States to maintain its hegemonic position in Asia. Not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, equality, mutual benefit, cooperation, and peace are the paths that Japan should take.

The website of the Korean National Daily published a commentary article questioning how the three countries had previously publicly stated their cooperation to strengthen the extended deterrence centered on the use and threat of use of nuclear weapons. Under the international order in which the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons comes into effect, how can cooperation be called cooperation under the protection of nuclear weapons? "The three countries should not cooperate for the sake of struggle or threat, but should cooperate to ease the tense atmosphere and create an environment without struggle."