Just over two months before Donald Trump returns to the White House, the leaders of the U.S., Japan and South Korea sought to further cement three-way ties on Friday by announcing the creation of a “trilateral secretariat” to better coordinate and implement their goals.
During their meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol hailed their trilateral partnership, saying in a joint statement that these ties were “built to last.”
The new secretariat, the statement said, will be “responsible for coordinating and implementing our shared commitments” and “ensure that the work we do together further aligns our objectives and actions to make the Indo-Pacific a thriving, connected, resilient, stable, and secure region.”