Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden are not running for re-election, will the US-Japan-Korea summit take place this year?

On August 15, a White House National Security Council official suggested the possibility of holding a trilateral summit between the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan later this year.

From right to left: Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the US-Japan-South Korea Summit at Camp David on August 18, 2023. (Source: AP)

Yonhap news agency reported that Ms. Mira Rapp-Hooper, Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania at the White House National Security Council, made the above suggestion.

Speaking at the event marking the first anniversary of the historic Trilateral Summit held at Camp David (USA), Ms. Rapp-Hooper emphasized that the three countries continue to build their partnership and put this relationship on a long-term strategic foundation, including organizing "another trilateral leadership summit before the end of the calendar year 2024".

“Of course, it is our job to ensure that this partnership stands the test of time, and I am confident that what we have done to date, along with what we will do over the next six months, will continue to strengthen the U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral partnership for many years to come,” she said.

However, the trilateral summit is scheduled to take place at a time of political change. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida has confirmed that he will step down next month, while US President Joe Biden has also withdrawn from the race for the White House.

These developments, Ms. Rapp-Hooper noted, “are reminders that political change in all systems is inevitable.”

However, the US, Japan and South Korea have spent the past year focusing on how to institutionalize various forms of trilateral cooperation, ensuring that these efforts will withstand political change and endure over the long term.

In a development related to US-Korea relations, on the same day, Mr. Chang Ho Jin, new foreign policy advisor to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, arrived in Washington DC (USA) to meet with officials of the host country.

The visit, aimed at discussing the two countries' alliance, the upcoming US election and other bilateral issues, comes days after Mr Chang was appointed to the advisory position in a surprise reshuffle.

Washington and Seoul have just concluded the 6th round of negotiations on the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) to share the costs of stationing US Forces Korea (USFK), taking place from August 12-14 in Washington DC.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/prime-minister-kishida-and-president-biden-khong-tai-tranh-cu-thuong-dinh-my-nhat-han-lieu-co-dien-ra-trong-nam-nay-282805.html