US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign ministers from Japan and South Korea on Saturday committed to work together to deter further Russian escalation along Ukraine’s border, and condemned North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches.
Blinken and his counterparts also underscored the importance of maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Blinken, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi and South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong stressed the “critical importance” of strong cooperation among their countries for regional stability, they said in a joint statement after wide-ranging talks in Hawaii.
Photo: Reuters
The officials discussed the Russian military buildup along Ukraine’s borders and their “unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement said.
The US Department of State has ordered “non-emergency US employees” to depart the embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, and suspended consular services there.
Russia has repeatedly rejected charges it plans to invade Ukraine, accusing NATO of threatening its security by considering Ukrainian membership in the military alliance.
On North Korea, the three officials “expressed deep concern about the destabilizing nature” of Pyongyang’s recent ballistic missile launches, calling on it to cease unlawful activities and engage in dialogue.
“It is clear to all of us that the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] is in a phase of provocation,” Blinken told a joint news conference after the meetings.
The US, Japan and South Korea are working closely to “achieve complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula,” remain open to dialogue and are prepared to meet with North Korea without preconditions, the statement said.
They pledged to “intensify efforts” to end violence in Myanmar and supported efforts by ASEAN to resolve the country’s crisis.
The talks also focused on common approaches to address priorities such as the climate crisis, supply chains and global health security, including efforts to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
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