President Joe Biden and two key Pacific allies on Friday announced a series of joint steps designed to check Chinese and North Korean military and economic aggression.
Flanked by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Biden told reporters after a summit at leafy Camp David that their goal was to make joint defense, science and technology, cancer research and other economic efforts as permanent as possible. While the trio were careful to not explicitly call out China, experts said Beijing’s actions have been pushing Washington, Tokyo and Seoul closer.
“Today, we declare openly that we are united in a common purpose to strengthen our shared region,” the three governments said in a joint statement released as the summit was concluding. “Our mandate is to ensure Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States are aligned in our objectives and in our actions.”
