The following text was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.
Begin Text:
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met on April 3 in Brussels to strengthen trilateral cooperation in advancing the safety, security, and prosperity of our three countries and the broader Indo-Pacific region, while upholding shared principles including the rule of law. The Secretary and Foreign Ministers emphasized the importance of NATO's cooperation with Indo-Pacific Partners to ensure the ability to swiftly respond to security developments and challenges in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions. They also expressed their deep condolences for the loss of lives and damage caused by the wildfires in the ROK and Japan.
Strengthening Regional and Global Engagement
The United States reiterated its ironclad commitments to the defense of Japan and the ROK, backed by America's unmatched military strength, including its nuclear capabilities. All sides confirmed that U.S. extended deterrence commitments to Japan and the ROK remain critical to the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region. Japan and the ROK expressed their support for U.S. efforts to engage the PRC and Russia on reducing nuclear risks. They reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering defense and deterrence by advancing robust security cooperation and strengthening their respective defense capabilities.
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers strongly opposed unlawful maritime claims or any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea. They emphasized their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and ensuring international law as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, including freedoms of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea, prevails.
They also emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the international community. They expressed concern about provocative actions, particularly the recent military drills around Taiwan, and called for an end to further destabilizing actions. They encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues and opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo, including by force or coercion. They also expressed support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations.
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers welcomed continued talks between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine and encouraged progress towards a comprehensive ceasefire, which is an essential step to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with the Charter of the United Nations.
Addressing the North Korean Threat
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). They expressed their serious concerns over DPRK's increasing military cooperation with Russia. They also emphasized the need to address together the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs and to maintain and strengthen the sanctions regime against the DPRK by responding firmly to violations and evasions of the relevant UNSCRs.
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers expressed their serious concern with malicious cyber activities by DPRK cyber actors, including the theft of nearly $1.5 billion worth of cryptocurrency from a single exchange service in February. They called on the international community to take actions to prevent the DPRK from converting the stolen cryptocurrency into hard cash.
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers pledged to continue efforts to address gross violations of human rights in and by the DPRK and reiterated their commitment to the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war as well as the issue of separated families.
Enhancing Economic Security and Resilience
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers committed to continue strengthening energy security and energy cooperation, underpinned by America's LNG and other energy sources and technologies, in a mutually beneficial manner. Building on discussions in Munich, they also committed to continue diversifying critical mineral and other vital supply chains, including through active collaboration under the MSP (Minerals Security Partnership), and developing and protecting critical and emerging technologies. They underscored the need to leverage their industries' capacities to accelerate joint efforts to develop and deploy advanced civil nuclear reactors to meet growing energy needs under the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation. They recognized the need for concerted efforts to ensure maritime security and prosperity through a modern maritime fleet, a robust shipbuilding industry, and a strong workforce. They welcomed the trilateral coast guard cooperation to address the multifaceted challenges in the maritime domain and provide joint capacity-building assistance to partners in the region under Trilateral Maritime Security and Law Enforcement Cooperation Framework. Standing firmly against economic coercion and unfair trade practices, they reaffirmed their commitment to a free and fair global economic order. They also committed to support the ROK's efforts to successfully host APEC 2025 and achieve meaningful outcomes.
Advancing Trilateral Cooperation
The Secretary and Foreign Ministers committed to continue trilateral meetings at all levels, including at the Vice-Ministerial level. They look forward to the second Trilateral Global Leadership Youth Summit in Japan this summer.
End Text.
Risk Warning: Cryptocurrency is a unregulated virtual notoriously volatile instrument with a high level of risk. Any news, opinions, research, data, or other information contained within this website is provided for news reporting purposes as general market commentary and does not constitute investment or trading advice.
