10-minute meeting between the leaders of Korea, the United States and Japan
Satisfied with the operation of the tripartite cooperation system
Coordinating Korea-China summit meeting
The possibility of misfire cannot be ruled out
The leaders of Korea, the United States, and Japan met separately in San Francisco, USA, on the 16th (local time) on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and took a commemorative photo. Camp David is a scene that reveals the close bond between the three countries following the institutionalization of Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation. President Yoon met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and exchanged pleasantries during an informal conversation and working lunch with the countries invited to the first session of the APEC summit. With the APEC summit, attention is focused on whether the Korea-China summit will take place.
On this day, President Yoon, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gathered at the Moscone Center, the APEC summit venue, this afternoon and took a commemorative photo with the flags of the three countries in the background.
According to a briefing by Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, President Biden said at the event, “Thanks to President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida, I was able to greatly reduce my burden in carrying out my duties as President of the United States.” The leaders of the three countries continued their chat for about 10 minutes. In this regard, the leaders of Korea, the United States, and Japan evaluated that the trilateral comprehensive cooperation system established at Camp David in August is continuing successfully. A senior official in the Presidential Office said, “The leaders of the three countries seem to be satisfied with the active operation of high-level dialogue channels among the three countries to implement this (trilateral cooperation system).”
The separate meeting between the leaders of Korea, the United States, and Japan took place three months after they met at Camp David in August and institutionalized trilateral security cooperation. The Camp David meeting took place when President Biden invited the leaders of Korea and Japan to a commemorative photo taken at the G7 summit held in Hiroshima, Japan in May.
The key lies in the Korea-China talks. Regarding whether to hold a Korea-China summit, a high-ranking official in the Presidential Office said, “We still have a day left to schedule tomorrow,” and “A Korea-China summit is being discussed.” However, he said, “I cannot guarantee whether it will take place due to the tight schedules between the two countries, but I can tell you that we are discussing it.”
It is known that President Yoon and President Xi met again this morning and exchanged good wishes, saying, “It is nice to see you one year after the G20 meeting last November.” In addition, President Yoon thanked President Xi for welcoming and welcoming Prime Minister Han Deok-soo on the occasion of the Hangzhou Asian Games. President Xi responded, “I had a wonderful meeting with Prime Minister Han.”
When President Yoon said, “I hope that APEC will lead to good results,” President Xi said, “I am confident that there will be good results.” He was reported to have stated, “I hope that Korea and China will cooperate with each other.” A senior official in the Presidential Office explained, “We have had bilateral meetings with several countries, but we are not talking with China in connection with the military issue between Russia and North Korea.”
When asked why a summit with South Korea has not been confirmed amid China’s US-China-Japan summit, a senior official in the President’s Office said, “Available time is limited, and China is focusing all its energy on talks with the US first. “I did it,” he explained. He then responded, “(China) has decided to hold talks with Japan following the United States, and whether it is better for both countries (South Korea and China) to hold this meeting and return (to their home country) based on their strategic choices, that is becoming the standard for judgment.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.