China Denounces U.S.-Japan-South Korea ‘Asian NATO’ Effort

Aug. 20, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—Global Times conveyed the angry response from China to the U.S.-Japan-South Korea (Biden-Kishida-Yoon) summit and military agreements on Aug. 18 at Camp David. They write:

“Despite the U.S. President Joe Biden’s claim that the U.S.-Japan-South Korea summit ‘is not about China’ afterward, the leaders of the three countries explicitly picked on China under the pretext of ‘joint efforts to maintain peace and stability’ in the Taiwan Straits and South China Sea, which once again laid bare anti-China hypocrisy.”

They note that Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, at a press briefing on the event, was asked if this were a “mini-NATO,” but claimed “this partnership is not against anyone. It is for something.... It is for a vision of the Indo-Pacific that is free, open, secure and prosperous.”

But, they report, the NATO “Article 5” stipulation that a threat to one of the nations is “a threat to all” is part of the new tripartite agreement as well, “according to a senior Biden official who spoke on condition of anonymity.” South Korean President Yoon was explicit: “Any provocations or attacks against any one of our three countries will trigger a decision making process of this trilateral framework and our solidarity will become even stronger and harder.”