At a historic summit held at the US presidential resort of Camp David on Friday, the leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea decided to broaden the scope of security and economic partnerships.
The leaders’ meeting and agreement comes at a time when the three countries’ relations with China and North Korea are becoming increasingly tense.
US Vice President Joe Biden stated that the three countries intend to establish a hotline to discuss threat response.
Biden also revealed various agreements, including the “Camp David Principles,” at the end of his talks with South Korean President Yun Sok Yul and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“The goal of our trilateral security cooperation has been and will continue to be to promote and advance peace and stability throughout the region,” the three leaders said in a joint statement.
The three presidents also agreed, according to the statement, to “improve the tripartite communication mechanism to facilitate regular and timely communication between our countries.”
This will involve trilateral talks with leaders, secretaries of state and defense, and national security advisers on an annual basis.
The leaders condemned China’s “dangerous and aggressive actions” in the South China Sea “in the strongest terms.”
They also stated their country’s “commitment to immediate consultation and coordination of responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting their shared interests.”