South Korea and Japan pledge to deepen ties

Kyodo photo via AP Images

At the conclusion of a summit in the South Korean city of Busan, outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged to continue strengthening bilateral ties.

It was the last of three such meetings since August, as the two Northeast Asian nations have been pushed toward greater cooperation by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and waning U.S. commitment to security assistance for South Korea, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

As Theresa Lou wrote earlier this month, the United States has historically set the agenda for trilateral coordination with Japan and South Korea. But the recent shift to direct diplomatic engagement between the two countries signals that they are “willing to shoulder greater responsibility for maintaining regional stability” while laying the groundwork for future cooperation that doesn’t rely on the United States.

News.Az