United States President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday denounced China’s “dangerous and aggressive behavior” in the South China Sea.
At a meeting held at Camp David, Maryland, United States of America, the three leaders agreed to strengthen military and economic ties.
Their statement against China turned out to be tougher than expected.
Their condemnation is likely to trigger action from China, which is an important trading partner for South Korea and Japan.
The criticism was directed at China’s insidious and aggressive behavior in its claims in the South China Sea.
“We strongly oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo in Indo-Pacific waters,” Biden, Yoon and Kishida said in a joint statement.
The summit of the three leaders was Biden’s first meeting with a foreign head of state at Camp David, which is the resting place of the president of the United States.
“If I look happy, yes I am,” Biden said during a joint press conference with Yoon and Kishida.
Biden called the meeting a “new era” for all three countries.
The summit at Camp David was held by Biden and his two main allies in Asia in order to build unity in the face of China and North Korea’s nuclear threat.
In a joint statement they issued, the three leaders expressed a commitment to immediately consult with each other to deal with the crisis.
They also agreed to coordinate responses to various challenges, provocations and threats in the region that affect their common interests.
Biden, Yoon and Kishida agreed to hold joint military exercises every year and share real-time information regarding North Korea’s missile launches until the end of 2023. The
three leaders of the countries promised to hold an annual meeting.
Source : Antara News
