“We, the leaders of Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States, have gathered at Camp David to usher in a new era of tripartite partnership. We do this at a time of unique opportunity for our countries and citizens, and at a turning point in history,” the joint statement read, titled “The Spirit of Camp David.” We are doing this at a time when geopolitical competition, the climate crisis, Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine and nuclear provocations are testing us.
The summit, where US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio came together, and the agreement announced afterwards, took place at a time when the three countries’ relations with China and North Korea were getting increasingly tense.
The leaders stressed that in addition to deepening the security partnership, they will “continue to focus on building strong cooperation” in the economic and technology fields.
In the statement, the purpose of the trilateral security cooperation was explained as “promoting and developing peace and stability throughout the region”, while it was stated that it was agreed to develop the trilateral communication mechanism to facilitate communication between the parties in the event of a security crisis or threat in the Pacific region.
It was also noted that to coordinate the Indo-Pacific approach between the three countries and to identify new areas for joint action, another mechanism called the “Tripartite Indo-Pacific Dialogue” will be launched and annual talks will be held.
Message to China, North Korea and Russia
At the trilateral summit hosted by the USA, the North Korea’s ballistic missile tests, the claims of the People’s Republic of China over the South China Sea, and the dissatisfaction with Russia’s war against Ukraine were openly expressed.
“We strongly oppose unilateral attempts to change the status, recalling the publicly expressed stance of each of our countries regarding the dangerous and aggressive behavior that we have witnessed recently in the South China Sea in support of China’s claims of illegal maritime action,” the joint statement said. .
The three leaders called for no change in their fundamental positions on Taiwan and that the problems between China and Taiwan should be resolved peacefully.
In the statement, the three countries reiterated their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, while stating that they “strongly condemn” the Pyongyang administration’s “unprecedented number” of ballistic missile launches.
At the trilateral summit, it was also stated that they acted together in support of Ukraine with the following words:
“We are united in our support for Ukraine. We reiterate our commitment to stand by Ukraine against Russia’s unreasonable and brutal war of aggression that has shaken the foundation of the international order. We continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, impose coordinated, robust sanctions on Russia, and accelerate the reduction of dependence on Russian energy.” We are committed to.”