☎️ Biden summit may include new crisis line

[phkrause]

President Biden will host Japan's prime minister and South Korea's president on Friday for his first-ever leaders' summit at Camp David, with plans to announce joint military exercises — and a possible new crisis hotline between the three allies, Axios' Hans Nichols reports.

• Why it matters: Bringing South Korea and Japan closer together has been central to Biden's regional approach to China. The Camp David Trilateral Summit is designed to send a loud message to China and North Korea that the allies are fortifying their military and economic ties.

Between the lines: The summit allows Biden to play the role of international statesman on a domestic stage as he runs a Rose Garden re-election campaign, using the trappings of the presidency to emphasize his leadership.

? What's happening: The summit follows months of U.S. diplomacy, as officials worked to persuade Japan and South Korea to look beyond their complicated past.

• Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are preparing to announce the "Camp David Principles," a new set of protocols to govern their relationship.

?️ The big picture: From the beginning of his presidency, Biden has worked to strengthen alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China's ambitions.

• One of his first virtual summits was with the so-called Quad, the leaders of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India.

[phkrause]

At Camp David, Biden aims to nudge Japan and South Korea toward greater unity in complicated Pacific

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden aims to further tighten security and economic ties between Japan and South Korea, two nations that have struggled to stay on speaking terms, as he welcomes their leaders to the rustic Camp David presidential retreat Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-japan-south-korea-camp-david-summit-2421359ebcd5973b6252fa284cfb25ff?

[phkrause]

At Camp David, Biden hails ‘new era of partnership’ between U.S., South Korea and Japan

CAMP DAVID, Md. — President Joe Biden on Friday signed historic agreements with the leaders of South Korea and Japan, bridging the fraught history between the two countries with promises of strengthening each nation’s economic and national security interests.

https://local.newsbreak.com/hawaii-state/3128229007990-at-camp-david-biden-hails-new-era-of-partnership-between-us-south-korea-and-japan?

[phkrause]

Today's historic summit

In a historic summit today at Camp David, President Biden and his counterparts from South Korea and Japan announced they will strengthen military cooperation — while meeting against China's objections, Axios' Barak Ravid writes.

Why it matters: It was Biden's first foreign leader summit at Camp David.

• The leaders also announced they'll turn this first-ever trilateral summit into an annual tradition.

? The meeting marks a significant step in the rapprochement between Tokyo and Seoul — two U.S. allies whose historically fraught relations have thawed in recent months amid China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and ongoing nuclear threats from North Korea.

Driving the news: During the summit, Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida formalized a series of new commitments on diplomatic, economic and military cooperation.

• The military agreements include a multiyear military exercise plan, deeper coordination on ballistic missile defense, and a new crisis-communication hotline.

?️ The big picture: During the summit, the U.S., South Korean and Japanese leaders also agreed to establish a trilateral hotline for times of regional crisis.

• Go deeper ... Read the joint statement: "The Spirit of Camp David."

[phkrause]

US, South Korea and Japan condemn China, agree to deepen military ties

CAMP DAVID, Maryland, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed at Camp David on Friday to deepen military and economic cooperation and made their strongest joint condemnation yet of "dangerous and aggressive behavior" by China in the South China Sea.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-south-korea-japan-agree-crisis-consultations-camp-david-summit-2023-08-18/?