US-Japan-S.Korea security cooperation will lead to nuclear proliferation: experts

Experts warned on Sunday that the so-called security cooperation among the US, Japan, and South Korea, especially the strengthening of military security ties and the enhancement of the so-called military deterrence, will exacerbate the trend of regional bloc confrontation and create a new cold war atmosphere in the region as top diplomats from Japan, the US and South Korea held on Thursday a trilateral meeting which aimed to pursue closer cooperation in addressing North Korea’s missile capabilities and Taiwan-related questions.

Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul exchanged opinions over Chinarelated issues. During the meeting, which lasted about an hour, the trio had a “frank exchange of views” on China, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said. The three-way talks took place on the sidelines of a foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of 20 major economies.

Experts warn that with the US, Japan, and South Korea as the core, the future “East Asian version of NATO” or “Northeast Asian version of NATO” is also taking shape.

For the region, the involvement of the US, Japan, and South Korea in the Taiwan question and South China Sea issues will to some extent intensifies the conflicts and tensions in the region, Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.

There is also the risk of nuclear proliferation, he warned, that is brought about by the US, Japan, and South Korea’s cooperation in developing nuclear missiles targeting North Korea, and the strengthening of the so-called extended deterrence, which involves the continuous presence of US strategic nuclear assets.