AFPBiden greets President Yoon of South Korea (left) and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan (right)
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 22:04
Japan, the United States and South Korea have agreed to join forces more often in economic and military areas. That is what the leaders say in a statement after the historic joint summit at Camp David, the country residence of US President Biden.
It is the first time that the political leaders of the three countries have met at a special summit. The summit should ensure that relations between Japan and South Korea improve. At the start of the summit, Biden spoke separately with South Korean President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida.
Difficult relationship
The relationship between Japan and South Korea was very difficult for a long time. Japan colonized and exploited South Korea between 1910 and 1945. Since then, there have been several conversations about reparations. Also, several Japanese companies that benefited from the colonization of judges were ordered to compensate victims. There are still South Koreans who avoid Japan because of its sensitive history.
The US wants the countries to resolve their differences so that they can act together against imminent threats from neighboring countries North Korea and China. Biden officials tell CNN that Camp David was chosen because of its historical significance. An agreement was signed between Israel and Egypt in 1978 and later countries that were at odds with each other spoke there. In 2015, Obama was the last president to use the country residence for a country summit. He spoke with six Gulf states there.
South Chinese Ocean
In a joint statement the countries released include condemning China’s recent practices in the South China Sea, but that was not the case in the press conference given by the three leaders. In the South China Sea, China has built a landing site on an island also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
China claims that virtually all of the South China Sea, including the islands that lie there, are Chinese territory. Other countries in the region and the United Nations disagree with this claim.
In the statement released by the US, Japan and South Korea, the countries promise to consult directly with each other and jointly come up with a response to “regional challenges, provocations and aggression”. According to Biden, the summit was not about China, but “of course there was talk” about China.
The countries also promise to cooperate more in areas such as combating disinformation. They also want the finance ministers to meet annually.
2023-08-18 20:04:52
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