By. CSNA-Media Staff with Ashoka Peiris
The high-level diplomacy of Japan, South Korea and the United States of America held their first meeting in Tokyo on Saturday (15). The meeting followed the election of US President Donald Trump, reaffirming the “unwavering trilateral partnership” and pledging to boost security and economic cooperation amid concerns over the durability of the three-way relationship.
This meeting has held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in the German city. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have joined the meeting. In a joint statement, they pledged to “take decisive action to counter threats, improve economic resilience and shared interests.”
“The Secretary and Foreign Ministers emphasized the need to strengthen alliances to ensure peace and prosperity, including stronger security cooperation between the three countries.” It has also been mentioned that they will continue the tripartite military exercises.
The U.S. also reiterated its “ironclad commitments” to defending its mutual allies, Japan and South Korea, “backed by America’s unmatched military strength, including its nuclear capabilities.”
Regarding North Korea during the meeting, the three officials expressed “serious concerns” over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency theft, and increased military cooperation with Russia, according to the report.
Further, the joint declaration by the three countries was a veiled blow to Beijing’s actions in the disputed South China Sea and around Democratic Taiwan. In the geopolitical issue between the two countries, China claims that Taiwan is a province that should be forcibly annexed to the mainland at any time if necessary.
Although they did not directly mention China, the top diplomats said that they “strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea” and “emphasized their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and ensuring international law prevails”.
“They also emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the international community,” according to the joint statement, adding that they had “encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues and opposed any attempts to unilaterally force or coerce changes to the status quo.”
In terms of economic cooperation, the officials announced their intention to enhance energy cooperation, particularly by purchasing U.S. liquefied natural gas, while also agreeing to continue to diversify critical minerals supply chains and collaborate on developing critical and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum science and technology.
The three of them also said they had “reaffirmed their commitment to a free and fair global economic order, standing firmly against economic coercion and unfair trade practices” while pledging to bolster economic partnerships “that benefit the hardworking citizens and businesses of their nations.”