The leaders of Japan, South Korea and the United States inaugurated “a new era” in trilateral cooperation on Friday at a historic meeting at the rustic Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, agreeing to expand and cement engagement in a variety of fields.
“Today, we've made history with the first ever standalone summit between the leaders of our three countries,” U.S. President Joe Biden said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. “America’s commitment to both countries is ironclad.”
At the highly symbolic venue — traditionally reserved for historic diplomatic announcements — the three leaders highlighted their unwavering commitment to institutionalizing trilateral cooperation in a broad swath of areas as diverse as diplomacy, education and security, while also noting the need to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.