Biden: US, Japan and South Korea unified in response to threat from North

JOE Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea have promised a unified, co-ordinated response to North Korea’s threatening nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, with the US President declaring the three-way partnership is “even more important than it’s ever been”.

Mr Biden met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol separately before all three sat together on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia.

The meeting was heavily focused on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s recent escalations, although Mr Biden said the three leaders also discussed strengthening supply chains and preserving peace across the Taiwan strait, while building on the countries’ support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

Mr Biden had also planned to seek input from Mr Kishida and Mr Yoon on managing China’s assertive posture in the Pacific region. The US President will meet China’s President Xi Jinping today.

“We face real challenges, but our countries are more aligned than ever, more prepared to take on those challenges than ever,” Mr Biden said. “I look forward to deepening the bonds of cooperation between our three countries.”

Both Mr Yoon and Mr Kishida discussed the ongoing displays of aggression by North Korea, which has fired dozens of missiles in recent weeks. The launches include an intercontinental ballistic missile 10 days ago that triggered evacuation alerts in northern Japan.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have rocketed in recent months as the North continues its weapons demonstrations and the US and South Korea launched stepped-up joint defence exercises.

When Mr Biden meets Mr Xi he plans to press him to use China’s sway over North Korea to curtail its aggressive behaviour, as part of what is expected to be a wide-ranging bilateral meeting on the margins of the G20 gathering in Bali, Indonesia.

Mr Biden said he has “always had straightforward discussions” with Mr Xi, which has prevented either of them having “miscalculations” of the other’s intentions.

“I know him well, he knows me,” Mr Biden said. “We’ve just got to figure out where the red lines are and what are the most important things to each of us, going into the next two years.”