Chinese build-up helps draw US-Japan-South Korea closer amid ‘worrisome’ security environment in Asia: Washington
- US official says recent Camp David summit shows Washington, Seoul and Tokyo wre driven ‘to protect themselves’ by a rising regional anxiety and instability
- Kurt Campbell says principles laid out in summit do not just target China but address broader context of increasing security commitment
During a digital briefing on Monday, Kurt Campbell, the US National Security Council’s coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, said the meeting between the leaders of the three countries was an “appropriate” effort to “constructively and peacefully” preserve their democratic engagement system.
“It is undeniable that the security environment in Asia is not only more complicated, but more worrisome to each of us,” said Campbell.
“We have the unprovoked illegal war in Ukraine, we have provocations on a regular basis from North Korea … We’ve seen a number of steps on the part of China that are provocative, massive military build-up and a number of steps that have caused anxiety, not just in Japan and South Korea, but in the region as a whole.”
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Leaders of South Korea and Japan commit to stronger ties despite lingering historical disputes