Message from Camp David: A “New Era” for the United States, Japan, and South Korea

The fact that Biden attaches great importance to the new partnership has already been demonstrated by the choice of venue. Camp David is the country residence of the presidents of the United States near Washington. On the one hand, it represents peace and solitude, on the other hand, diplomatic successes. Camp David became really famous in 1978 when Israeli Menachem Begin and Egyptian Anwar Sadat shook hands there to reconcile. Even today, the Sinai Peninsula evacuation treaty is called Camp David for short. The host at the time was Jimmy Carter. For Biden, this was the first summit with foreign guests there.

Biden has made the Indo-Pacific a political priority. Indo-Pacific means an area extending from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The United States wants to stand in the way of China’s pursuit of power in the region. Washington and other countries are concerned about China’s trade practices and expansionist drive. The United States and its partners are also concerned about repeated missile launches by North Korea. Japan and South Korea are among the most important allies of the United States in Asia. The joint alliance is a success for Biden simply because the two countries already have a somewhat frosty relationship for historical reasons. Recently, Seoul and Tokyo have come close.

According to the private venue, Biden and his guests did not appear with a tie as is usually the case, but wore jackets and T-shirts during the press conference. Biden seemed relaxed and in a good mood, too. When a journalist was presented with a full index of questions rather than a single question, he said, “I will try to answer them all. I’m glad I wasn’t a law professor. “

Biden tried to make it clear that the meeting was about broader security issues in the region. “The summit was not about China. That was not the purpose of the meeting, but China came, of course.” And indeed – China was one of the dominant issues when the three men appeared before the press. They also accused China in the summit’s closing statement of “dangerous and aggressive behavior” in the South China Sea. We “resolutely oppose all unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.”

Biden has promised talks with Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping later this year. “I expect and hope that we will continue our talks in Bali in the fall. This is my expectation.” The last personal meeting between Biden and Xi was on the Indonesian island of Bali, on the sidelines of the G20 summit of major and emerging industrialized countries last November. A new opportunity for bilateral talks between the two countries will arise at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India in September. Relations between the United States and China have been at rock bottom for some time.

Regarding North Korea, the three countries want to exchange missile-related information in real time and work more closely together on ballistic missile defense. Neighbors South Korea and Japan rely on the United States’ nuclear protective umbrella to deter North Korea, among other countries. The President of South Korea, Yoon in particular, has repeatedly expressed concern about his neighbors.

It was also agreed on a kind of consultation in security crises and the establishment of a hotline for rapid exchange in crises. There should also be an early warning system for potential problems in supply chains. In addition, an annual trilateral summit is now scheduled with the United States, Japan and South Korea. “From this moment on, Camp David will be remembered as a historic site,” Yoon said of the summit’s outcome. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida said it was a great honor to add a new page to the Camp David history book with the summit.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine was also discussed at the summit. In Biden’s opinion, this would have implications outside Europe – partners in Asia would have understood that, too. Biden said such an attack could happen anywhere. The Democrat asked, “If we sit idly by, what signal does this send to China with regard to Taiwan?”