NEW YORK — The leaders of the United States, South Korea and Japan put aside a fraught history as three of the most powerful democracies in the Pacific, a move likely to add strain to the already-tense relationship between the US and Beijing.
In a statement released after the summit’s conclusion, the three leaders announced a new “commitment to consult,” a three-way hotline, a commitment to conduct annual military exercises and share intelligence and a new annual trilateral summit. But in the face of persistent missile threats from North Korea and China’s military maneuvering in the region, Kishida and Yoon have gone to great lengths to put aside those differences, including hosting a fence-mending summit in March, the first of its kind in 12 years. US officials have credited that work as a key step in cementing the trilateral partnership once thought unimaginable.
“It’s not just here,” he said. “It has a phenomenal impact. As you’ve seen from initiatives we’re announcing here today, just how committed we are to see this vision and take place.” In the joint statement, Biden, Kishida and Yoon affirmed the three countries’ trilateral partnership at what they called “a time of unparalleled opportunity for our countries and our citizens, and at a hinge point of history, when geopolitical competition, the climate crisis, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and nuclear provocations test us.”
“We strongly condemn the DPRK’s unprecedented number of ballistic missile launches, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missile launches and conventional military actions that pose a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,” the statement says. “We express concern regarding the DPRK’s illicit cyber activities that fund its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs.