Biden to host Camp David summit with Japan, South Korea next month, says US congressman
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US President Joe Biden (left) with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (centre) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, on the sidelines of a G-7 summit in Japan.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden is expected to host the leaders of Japan and South Korea in a trilateral summit at Camp David next month, the co-chair of the US congressional caucus on Korea said on Thursday.
Democratic congressman Ami Bera told a Washington think-tank he anticipated the summit between the close allies “in, I guess, a couple of weeks now” at the US presidential retreat in the mountains of western Maryland.
South Korean and Japanese media have reported that the meeting will be held at Camp David on Aug 18. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said last week it would be in August, with the exact date and location to be announced soon.
The White House declined to comment. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters plans were not yet finalised.
Washington is keen to encourage closer cooperation with its two main allies in Asia amid shared concerns about China’s growing might and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
Japan and South Korea have been moving to mend strained bilateral ties following years of feuds over historical issues which undercut cooperation.
Mr Biden in May praised Mr Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for “courageous work to improve their bilateral ties,” saying the trilateral partnership was stronger because of it.
Mr Bera told the Centre for Strategic and International Studies he would like to see “real tangibles” from the summit, including on the economic front, “whether that’s in the semiconductor space... the clean-energy, electric-vehicle space.”
“We’ve talked a little bit about joint exploration in the East China Sea, what that might look like,” he added. “Is there a way for US energy companies to be engaged in a maybe Japanese-Korean venture in the joint development zone?“
Mr Bera referred to cooperation on supply chains and an agreement the United States had negotiated with Japan covering rare earths critical in high-tech uses. “I think... Korea should be involved in that as well,” he said.
Mr Bera said he expected Mr Yoon to raise South Korean concerns about Mr Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act “and maybe you’ll see some progress on what that looks like and some adjustments.” REUTERS
