Fresh from visits to Japan and South Korea by the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense, the United States invited top Japanese and South Korean national security officials to the United States for a three-way meeting on Friday (April 2) to discuss issues related to the Chinese Communist Party, North Korea, the epidemic, and the South China Sea, which is seen as highlighting the high priority the United States places on the Indo-Pacific region.
The Voice of America reported that Japanese National Security Chief Shigeru Kitamura and South Korean National Security Office Chief Seo Kaoru of Cheong Wa Dae were invited by U.S. National Security Advisor Sullivan to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland for the trilateral talks. It was the first meeting of national security advisers during the Biden administration.
The White House National Security Council said Thursday (April 1) that the tripartite talks will cover North Korea, China and the South China Sea, and will also focus on the impact of the Chinese Communist virus (New Coronavirus) outbreak on the North Korean leadership.
The Biden administration is strengthening ties with its Indo-Pacific allies, and on March 12, President Biden held his first quadrilateral summit with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia, which was seen as a sign of the four countries’ determination to counter the growing military and economic power of the Chinese Communist Party.
The quadrilateral summit meeting focused on addressing the Communist Party’s viral pandemic and climate crisis, as well as restoring economic growth. In terms of foreign aid for the vaccine, the four countries agreed that the U.S. and Japan would provide funding, India would manufacture and Australia would do the logistics to deliver a vaccine for the Chinese Communist virus to Southeast Asia.
The Voice of America reporter asked whether South Korea was invited to participate in the vaccine program during Friday’s trilateral talks between U.S., Japanese and South Korean national security advisers. Senior U.S. officials responded that they would welcome South Korea’s cooperation with the Quadripartite Dialogue countries in all areas.
In addition, is the U.S. willing to use “vaccine diplomacy” to engage with North Korea? Senior U.S. officials responded that it is “premature” to talk about engaging with North Korea on public health and wellness, but that the Biden administration is interested in hearing about the assessment of the epidemic in North Korea, which is important for future North Korea policy.
U.S. officials also said the three national security advisers will discuss various aspects of North Korea, including denuclearization, nuclear non-proliferation, North Korea’s internal affairs, and North Korea’s recent missile tests, as well as some recent diplomatic actions between the Chinese Communist Party and North Korea.
The Voice of America reports that the Biden administration is nearing completion of its North Korea policy, but U.S. officials would not say whether it would be formally launched after this meeting of national security advisers, saying only that Japanese and South Korean national security officials would provide input.
As the venue for the national security adviser talks was chosen at the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. officials said the Japanese and South Korean representatives will have the opportunity to meet with U.S. Navy personnel. The U.S. government has been working with the U.S. Department of State to develop a new policy on the use of the U.S. military.
Recently, Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin just visited Japan and South Korea to discuss topics including freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, and this week the U.S. national security team is also in close contact with NATO and intends to work together to address more challenges in the Indo-Pacific region and other regions.
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