Status: 19.08.2023, 00:58 a.m.
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U.S. President Joe Biden (M), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (r), and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at a press conference at Camp David. © Andrew Harnik/AP/dpa
No tie and special backdrop: US President Joe Biden has invited his colleagues from Japan and South Korea to Camp David. China and North Korea are likely to be watching the meeting particularly closely.
Camp David/Washington - The United States, Japan and South Korea want to demonstrate strength with a new defense cooperation and send a signal to China and North Korea. At a summit in Camp David, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to expand cooperation in the areas of economy and security. "This includes annual military exercises in several areas," Biden announced at a joint press conference. Cooperation in the field of defence should be brought to an "unprecedented level". Biden praised a new "era of partnership" between the countries and spoke of a "historic moment".
The fact that Biden attaches great importance to the new partnership was already shown by the choice of venue. Camp David is the country residence of U.S. presidents near Washington. On the one hand, it stands for peace and seclusion, and on the other hand, for diplomatic successes. Camp David became really famous in 1978 when the Israeli Menachim Begin and the Egyptian Anwar el Sadat shook hands for reconciliation there. Even today, the treaty for the evacuation of the Sinai Peninsula is called "Camp David" for short. The host at the time was Jimmy Carter. For Biden, it was the first summit with foreign guests there.
U.S. wants to stand up to China's quest for power
Biden has made the Indo-Pacific region a priority of his policy. The Indo-Pacific refers to a region from the Indian to the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. wants to stand up to China's quest for power in the region. Washington and other countries are concerned about China's trade practices and expansionism. The U.S. and its partners are also concerned about North Korea's repeated missile launches. Japan and South Korea are among the most important allies of the United States in Asia. The joint alliance is a success for Biden simply because the two countries have historically had a rather frosty relationship. Most recently, Seoul and Tokyo had come closer.
In keeping with the special venue, Biden and his guests did not appear with a tie as usual, but wore jackets and shirts during the press conference. Biden seemed relaxed and was also in the mood for a joke. When a journalist presented a whole list of questions instead of a question, he said: "I will try to answer them all. I'm glad I didn't have you as my law professor."
Biden hopes to talk to Xi later this year
Biden sought to make it clear that the meeting revolved around wide-ranging security issues in the region. "The summit was not about China. That was not the purpose of the meeting, but China, of course, came up," he stressed. And indeed - China was one of the dominant topics when the three men appeared before the press. In the final declaration of the summit, they also accuse China of "dangerous and aggressive behavior" in the South China Sea. It is "resolutely opposed to all unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific."
Biden held out the prospect of a meeting with China's state and party leader Xi Jinping before the end of this year. "I expect and hope that we will continue our talks in Bali in the autumn. That's my expectation." Most recently, Biden and Xi met in person on the Indonesian island of Bali on the sidelines of the summit of the G20 group of major industrialized and emerging economies last November. A new opportunity for bilateral talks between the two would be presented at the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, in September. Relations between the US and China have been at a low point for some time.
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Mandatory consultation, crisis hotline and annual summit
With regard to North Korea, the three countries want to exchange missile information in real time and cooperate more closely in the defense against ballistic missiles. Neighbors South Korea and Japan are dependent on the U.S. nuclear umbrella as a deterrent to North Korea, among others. South Korea's President Yoon, in particular, has repeatedly expressed concern about his neighbor.
It was also agreed that there would be a kind of obligation to consult in security crises and that a hotline would be set up for rapid exchange in crises. There will also be an early warning system for possible problems with supply chains. In addition, an annual tripartite summit with the United States, Japan and South Korea is now planned. "From that moment on, Camp David will be remembered as a historic site," Yoon said, referring to the results of the summit. Japan's Prime Minister Kishida said it was a great honor to add a new page to the history book on Camp David with the summit.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine was also discussed at the summit. In Biden's opinion, this has an impact beyond Europe - the partners in Asia would also have understood this. Such an attack could happen anywhere, Biden said. "If we were to keep quiet, what signal would that send to China regarding Taiwan?" the Democrat asked. Dpa