Amid China’s assertiveness, US pledges cooperation with Japan, South Korea for regional peace

WASHINGTON: Amid China’s growing assertiveness and provocations of North Korea, the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies of Japan and South Korea recently pledged to boost trilateral cooperation to achieve regional and global peace.

Chiefs of Defence of the three countries opposed “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force” in the Indo-Pacific region, given China’s “escalatory, dangerous, and aggressive behaviour supporting unlawful maritime claims” in regional waters, including the South China Sea, as per a joint statement released after their talks in Tokyo, the US IndoPacific Command said. US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown, Jr, Japan’s Chief of Staff, Joint Staff General Yoshida Yoshihide, and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, convened the trilateral Chiefs of Defence meeting on July 18 in Tokyo.

The three top-ranking officials agreed to “continue to strengthen trilateral security cooperation to advance peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific, and beyond,” the joint statement read.

The chiefs of defence also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as "an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community.”

“There is no change in their basic positions on Taiwan, and they called for peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues,” the joint statement read.

Chinese Communist Party continues to stifle Taiwan’s air and maritime training space and response time through grey-zone tactics, restricting Taiwan's right to self-defence. China has also intensified military drills after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as the president of the island nation, raising tensions in the region. China continues to make its claim on the self-governed island.

Meanwhile, ahead of the trilateral meeting in Washington, Japanese Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida said China was trying to “change the status quo by force” in the East China and South China seas, CNN reported.

Last month, the three countries held joint military exercises titled Freedom Edge involving US aircraft carrier and Japanese and South Korean ships and planes across multiple domains including land, sea and air and cyber.

“The goal of the exercise, which is set to expand in future years, was to allow the militaries to better work together against a common adversary,” CNN reported.

The meeting of the defence chiefs of US, China and Japan followed in the heels of the 75th anniversary summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held in Washington, in which the 32 member countries of the military bloc highlighted their concerns about Beijing’s nuclear arsenal and its capabilities in space.

China’s ambitions and coercive policies “continue to challenge our interests, security and values,” the NATO communique stated after the Washington summit.

“The deepening strategic partnership between Russia and China and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut and reshape the rules-based international order are a cause for profound concern. We are confronted by hybrid, cyber, space, and other threats and malicious activities from state and non-state actors,” the NATO communique read.

China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea has resulted in heightened tensions with other claimant countries, including the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. Over the years, the SCS has emerged as an area of US-China strategic competition.

Meanwhile, North Korea has stepped up its ballistic missile tests despite prohibitions by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Pyongyong has also threatened to launch a preemptive nuclear strike to defend its territory from what it claims is an impending invasion. Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met in Washington and reaffirmed the advancements in security cooperation between their two countries on extended deterrence.

The US Defence Department and South Korean Defence Ministry announced the signing of “Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula.”

Japan and South Korea imposed sanctions in May this year targeting firms and people for providing North Korean weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. (ANI)

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