Biden Holds Strategic Talks with South Korea, Japan Ahead of Potential Trump Policy Shifts

U.S. PresidentJoe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday at the APEC Summit in Peru. The leaders sought to solidify diplomatic progress amid rising tensions in Asia and potential shifts in alliances under a Trump administration.

U.S. President Joe Biden met with the leaders of South Korea and Japan on Friday to reinforce recent diplomatic progress as concerns grow over potential disruptions to alliances under a new Donald Trump administration.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima, Peru, brought Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba together for the first time in person. U.S. relations with Beijing are expected to become more contentious after Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, with his proposed steep tariff increases posing risks to China’s economy.

The gathering comes amid rising tensions in Asia, fueled by North Korea’s troop deployments to Russia in support of the war in Ukraine, North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, and dimming hopes for a peaceful resolution to the decades-long conflict with South Korea.

“Japan, the ROK (South Korea), and the United States strongly condemn the decisions by the leaders of the DPRK (North Korea) and Russia to dangerously expand Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” stated a joint declaration, referring to South Korea and North Korea by their official names, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Following the meeting, the three nations announced the establishment of a Trilateral Secretariat to institutionalize their cooperation beyond regular meetings, as explained by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during a press briefing aboard Air Force One on Thursday.

Strengthening ties between Japan and South Korea, long strained by historical tensions stemming from Japan’s colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945, has been highlighted as a significant diplomatic success of Biden’s presidency.

Biden emphasized the importance of this trilateral relationship as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence in the region, though Beijing has dismissed this perspective. In parallel, Yoon held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, while Ishiba and Biden were scheduled for separate discussions with Xi during the APEC summit.

“I truly believe the cooperation of our countries will be the foundation to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific for many years to come,” Biden said at the start of the three-way meeting.

Additionally, the three nations committed to advancing collaboration with the Philippines in key areas such as ports, energy, and transportation, according to their joint statement.

The region remains uncertain about Trump’s dedication to trilateral initiatives, given his “America First” stance, skepticism of U.S. support for traditional allies, and his previous diplomatic overtures to North Korea.

“Transitions have historically been time periods when the DPRK has taken provocative actions, both before and after the transition from one president to a new president,” Sullivan said. “I do not think we can count on a period of quiet with the DPRK.”

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