LIMA (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden met with the leaders of Japan and South Korea on Friday, as the three countries’ rulers seek to consolidate their diplomatic progress ahead of a new Trump administration that is expected to overthrow alliances around the world.
The meeting between Washington and two of its closest Asian allies was held amid expectations that US relations with Beijing are likely to become more confrontational after Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, given his promises of sharp increases in tariffs that could affect China’s economy.
North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and the dwindling prospects for a peaceful resolution to a decades-old conflict with North Korea South Asia are also increasing tensions.
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The meeting held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Lima, Peru, featured Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who took office in October at first time the three were together in person.
They are announcing the creation of a “secretariat” for the three countries to formalize the relationship and ensure “it’s not just a series of meetings,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with Biden on board on Thursday. of Air Force One.
Getting South Korea and Japan to work together is considered one of the diplomatic achievements of Biden’s four-year term as president, which is about to end. The two countries have a long history of mutual animosity stemming from Japan’s harsh colonial rule in Korea between 1910 and 1945.
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Biden sees close ties between the three as a hedge against China’s aggressive moves in the region, a view Beijing rejects. Yoon met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, while Ishiba and Biden were set to hold their own one-on-one meetings with Xi during the summit.
“I truly believe that our countries’ cooperation will be the foundation for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific for many years to come,” Biden said.
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