US: Ties with S. Korea, Japan to secure Indo-Pacific

TOKYO, The US said Tuesday that its bilateral and trilateral relationships with South Korea and Japan would help enhancing prosperity and security for all parties in the Indo-Pacific, Yonhap News Agency reported. "Both alliances have transformed from primarily security-focused relationships to truly comprehensive global partnerships, with impacts reverberating far beyond the Indo-Pacific," US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said in a virtual speech. In an online speech during a forum, hosted by the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Campbell cast the series of the bilateral and trilateral summits the US has had with South Korea, Japan, and separately with Japan and the Philippines, Upon that, it was a clear demonstration of the "not just historic but unrivaled" level of commitment from Washington and its allies in the Indo-Pacific. Cambell was quoted saying, "Our bilateral and trilateral bonds with the Republic of Korea and Japan will define the future of Asia and grow our collective pro sperity and security." The Joe Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy focused on creating a "lattice-fence" structure of alliances, the official said, referring to trilateral or wider groupings of a handful of like-minded countries. The US' AUKUS -- which is a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- as India and Japan were cited as latticework alliance partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. Campbell also pointed out that modernizing the alliances was about sharing the resolve to address regional threats, including North Korea. Source: Kuwait News Agency