White House clarifies: Biden’s Japan-South Korea trilateral not a Pacific NATO.
National Security Adviser: New Trilateral Agreement Enhances Regional Stability and Security
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized on Friday that President Joe Biden’s new trilateral agreement with Japan and South Korea is not a “new NATO for the Pacific.” The focus of the meetings at Camp David between Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was China, although it was not explicitly mentioned. China had expressed its dissatisfaction ahead of the summit, leading to multiple questions on the subject during a press gaggle on Friday morning.
“First, it’s explicitly not a new NATO for the Pacific. We’ve said that. We will continue to underscore that, and so will both Japan and South Korea,” Sullivan told reporters when asked about China’s criticism. “We’ve had a combined 150 years of alliance cooperation with Japan and Korea, so in that sense, the work that we are doing with these two countries is not new.”
Sullivan further explained, “What is new is that we are now stitching all of that work together to try to enhance regional stability and security. In all of those decades of cooperation, we have helped safeguard stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, which has created favorable conditions for economic growth, including in China. We see China as a contributor to security, stability, and prosperity in the region, and we believe this trilateral agreement will be welcomed by countries throughout the Indo-Pacific.”
The three leaders will hold a trilateral press conference at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time to discuss the outcomes of the meetings.
You can watch Sullivan’s full comments below.
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