The United States and two of its closest allies in Asia on Friday announced renewed commitments in a show of solidarity and force in the face of an ascendant China. 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 U.S. and Beijing.
President Joe Biden鈥檚 summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David was meant to serve as a show of force as the countries grapple with persistent provocative behavioUr from North Korea and with China鈥檚 military and economic aggressions.
The announcements the leaders made afterward 鈥 including new military exercises and a hotline for crisis communications 鈥 reflected the current era of tension in Asia, with likeminded nations banding together in ways likely to only generate more animosity from Beijing.
Biden鈥檚 desire to strengthen alliances was a sign he doesn鈥檛 see the tension easing anytime soon.
Biden has sought to deepen ties with allies in the Indo-Pacific amid concerns about Beijing, and thanked his counterparts for their participation, offering effusive praise for the 鈥減olitical courage鈥 on display.
While Biden stressed that the summit was not about China, the talks may stoke tensions with Beijing. On Friday, when asked about the trilateral meeting, : 鈥淣o country should seek its own security at the expense of other countries鈥 security interests and regional peace and stability,鈥 adding the Asia-Pacific region shouldn鈥檛 be 鈥渢urned into a wrestling ground for geopolitical competition.鈥
In a statement released after the summit鈥檚 conclusion, the three leaders announced a new 鈥渃ommitment to consult,鈥 a three-way hotline, a commitment to conduct annual military exercises and share intelligence and a new annual trilateral summit.
The summit will fall short of a producing a three-way collective defence agreement but will underscore 鈥渢hat a challenge to any one of the countries is a challenge to all of them,鈥 a senior administration official said. The new 鈥渃ommitment to consult鈥 doesn鈥檛 supersede either of the mutual defence treaties the U.S. has signed with both nations.
The gathering marks the first time Biden is hosting foreign leaders at the Camp David retreat, a site of historic diplomatic negotiations for past presidents.
The prospect of trilateral progress among the countries was not always a given. The relationship between Seoul and Tokyo is trailed by decades of tension and mistrust, including a dispute over forced labour by Japan during its occupation of Korea.
But in the face of persistent missile threats from North Korea and China鈥檚 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. U.S. officials have credited that work as a key step in cementing the trilateral partnership once thought unimaginable.
鈥淐hina鈥檚 entire strategy is based on the premise that America鈥檚 number one and number two ally in the region can鈥檛 get together and get on the same page,鈥 Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said at the Brookings Institution on Wednesday.
Biden took a veiled swipe at Beijing鈥檚 influence by taking special care to pledge the three nations鈥 support 鈥渇or international law, freedom of navigation, and a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea,鈥 and 鈥渙ur shared commitment to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and addressing economic coercion.鈥
鈥淭his summit was not about China. That was not the purpose of the meeting, but 鈥 China obviously came up,鈥 Biden said, adding that he hopes to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this fall. 鈥淣ot to say we don鈥檛 share concerns about the economic coercion, or heightened tensions caused by China, but this summit was really about our relationship with each other, and deepening co-operation across an entire range of issues that went well beyond just the immediate issues we raised.鈥
Biden said that 鈥渜uite frankly,鈥 a more peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region would 鈥渂enefit everyone living there and around the world if we get it right.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just here,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t has a phenomenal impact. As you鈥檝e seen from initiatives we鈥檙e announcing here today, just how committed we are to see this vision and take place.鈥
He said the leaders had 鈥渓aid in place a long-term structure for a relationship that will last and have a phenomenal impact not just in Asia but through around the world.鈥
Chinese President Xi Jinping gestures as he meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Monday, June 19, 2023. (Leah Millis/Pool Photo via AP)
Biden also explicitly condemned 鈥渢hreats from (North Korea),鈥 including cryptocurrency money laundering and potential arms transfers to Russia to assist in its invasion of Ukraine.
鈥淢r. President, Mr. Prime Minister, this is the first summit I鈥檝e hosted at Camp David as president 鈥 I can think of no more fitting location to begin the next era, our next era of co-operation, a place that has long symbolized the power of new beginnings and new possibilities,鈥 Biden said.
In the joint statement, Biden, Kishida and Yoon affirmed the three countries鈥 trilateral partnership at what they called 鈥渁 time of unparalleled opportunity for our countries and our citizens, and at a hinge point of history, when geopolitical competition, the climate crisis, Russia鈥檚 war of aggression against Ukraine, and nuclear provocations test us.鈥
鈥淭his is a moment that requires unity and co-ordinated action from true partners, and it is a moment we intend to meet, together. Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States are determined to align our collective efforts because we believe our trilateral partnership advances the security and prosperity of all our people, the region, and the world,鈥 the statement reads.
In the joint statement, the three leaders also expressed 鈥渃oncerns about actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order, which undermine regional peace and prosperity,鈥 while singling out 鈥渢he dangerous and aggressive behaviour supporting unlawful maritime claims that we have recently witnessed by the People鈥檚 Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea.鈥
And on North Korea, the three leaders 鈥渞eaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People鈥檚 Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions and urge the DPRK to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.鈥
鈥淲e strongly condemn the DPRK鈥檚 unprecedented number of ballistic missile launches, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches and conventional military actions that pose a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,鈥 the statement says. 鈥淲e express concern regarding the DPRK鈥檚 illicit cyber activities that fund its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs.鈥
The gathering at the secluded, wooded retreat highlights Biden鈥檚 mission of reinvigorating alliances in the wake of the tumultuous four years of his predecessor 鈥 a key argument from Biden鈥檚 2020 campaign that鈥檚 extending into his reelection bid.
From the start of his administration, Biden has sought to draw Asian allies like Japan and South Korea closer, in part, to counter China. Biden鈥檚 first foreign leader visits at the White House were Japan and South Korea, and he visited the countries back-to-back in May 2022.
The leaders held trilateral meetings on the sidelines of last year鈥檚 NATO Summit in Madrid and at the G7 in Hiroshima in May, but the Camp David gathering was the first stand-alone summit for the three leaders. National security adviser Jake Sullivan has held yearly meetings with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts beginning with a sit-down in Annapolis, Maryland, less than three months into Biden鈥檚 time in office.
Biden has worked to foster his individual relationships and co-operation with South Korea and Japan. Biden and Kishida have touted efforts to strengthen their countries鈥 military alliance, and the two men have worked closely as the U.S. has sought to rally allies against Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine.
On Friday, Biden thanked Kishida for his 鈥渓eadership, from day one鈥 on the response to Russia鈥檚 invasion, which he said was 鈥渃ritical for making it clear that the consequences for war extend well beyond Europe.鈥
鈥淚f my memory serves me, well 鈥 I think it does, Mr. Prime Minister 鈥 we found ourselves in a circumstance where, when I called you about Ukraine, I didn鈥檛 have to convince you of anything,鈥 Biden said.
During a state visit for South Korea at the White House in April, Biden and Yoon announced a new agreement to deter North Korean aggression, including a U.S. commitment to temporarily deploy a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.
The visit also included memorable personal touches as South Korea鈥檚 president serenaded dinner guests with a verse from 鈥淎merican Pie.鈥 The president in return gifted Yoon a guitar signed by the musician responsible for the song, Don McLean. Yoon鈥檚 father, Yoon Ki Jung, passed away on Tuesday, just days before the South Korean president was set to travel to the U.S.
Despite the current closeness of all three nations, the White House has been mindful of potential rollbacks to this progress under future administrations in all three countries. During Friday鈥檚 news conference, Biden rebuffed the suggestion that his fellow leaders should be worried about the U.S.鈥 commitment to the Indo-Pacific given former President Donald Trump鈥檚 comments suggesting he鈥檇 seek to reduce America鈥檚 footprint in the region should he win the 2024 election.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just about one summit 鈥 what makes today鈥檚 different is it鈥檚 actually launching a series of initiatives that are actually institutional changes in how we deal with one another,鈥 Biden said.
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