(From left): South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David, the US, August 18, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Yonhap)

The Biden administration held the summit with the leaders of the main US allies in Asia, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a bid to project unity in the face of China’s growing power and nuclear threats from North Korea. 

In a summit statement the three countries committed to consult promptly with each other during crises and to coordinate responses to regional challenges, provocations and threats affecting common interests. The countries promised to hold trilateral summits annually.

The statement said the three countries strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific.

The leaders reaffirmed ASEAN’s centrality and unity as well as their support for the regional architecture led by ASEAN.

They renewed commitments to a completely nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and reiterated their unity in supporting Ukraine, sanctioning Russia, and reducing dependence on Russia’s energy supply.