Biden's calls with leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia emphasise Indo-Pacific security, coronavirus
US President-elect Joe Biden assured Japan the security treaty between the two countries covers the East China Sea islands claimed by Beijing, and pledged cooperation with South Korea to achieve Pyongyang's denuclearisation, in his first phone calls with their leaders since his election victory.
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who took office in September, told reporters he spoke to Biden on Thursday morning and they had agreed to meet as soon as possible.
"Biden said that he looks forward to strengthening the United States-Japan alliance and working together on realising a free and open Indo-Pacific," Suga said.
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In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he and Biden had reaffirmed their commitment to the US-South Korea alliance and ensuring peace on the Korean peninsula.
"Going forward, I will work closely with him to meet global challenges including Covid-19 and climate change," Moon wrote on Twitter.
Biden had earlier spoken to Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison. A statement posted on the website of the president-elect's transition team noted that in all three calls, the leaders discussed the need to maintain prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region, a term adopted during the administration of current US leader Donald Trump to signify Washington's bid to solidify its leadership in the region.
Japanese media reported that Suga had agreed with Biden to meet in person "as soon as possible", with government sources saying the prime minister is likely to visit the US after the president-elect takes office on January 20.
Unlike China, Russia and a host of other countries, Suga joined a chorus of world leaders recognising the outcome of last week's US presidential election as legitimate. Trump continues to contest the results.
The Japanese premier has been seen as eager to establish a relationship with Biden at a time of growing maritime assertiveness by China over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, and concerns over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
Japan seeks assurances on the scope of its security treaty with the US every time there is a change of leadership. Washington recognises the disputed islands as administered by Tokyo, but stops short of saying they are part of the country.
Article Five of the treaty obliges both parties to "act to meet the common danger" in the event of an armed attack on either party in territory administered by Japan.
Both leaders also affirmed that their nations would coordinate closely in combating global warming, Suga said.
He has already pledged to make Japan carbon-free by 2050, while Biden has underscored his commitment to bringing the US back to the United Nations Paris climate agreement, from which Trump has withdrawn.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office in September. Photo: Kyodo alt=Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office in September. Photo: Kyodo
Like Japan, South Korea also relies on the US as a nuclear deterrent against the North, and Prime Minister Moon's administration is pinning its hopes on a restart of the stalled negotiations - which could facilitate inter-Korean economic initiatives. The plans have been hamstrung by international sanctions imposed over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.
Moon this week said South Korea would pursue Trump's diplomatic legacy regarding the denuclearisation of North Korea. He said during a meeting with his top aides that Seoul would ensure there was no "vacuum" in diplomatic efforts to "strengthen the South Korea-US alliance and progress in the Korea peace process".
"I will do my utmost to make sure the precious achievements made together under the Trump administration will be well succeeded and further developed by the next government," he said.
Biden said the US would "cooperate closely to resolve the issue of the North's denuclearisation", according to a presidential Blue House spokesperson.
Biden thanked Moon for his congratulations, expressing his desire to strengthen the US-South Korea alliance "as the linchpin of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region", a statement posted on the website of Biden's transition team said.
US President-elect Joe Biden also spoke with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: TNS alt=US President-elect Joe Biden also spoke with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: TNS
"He observed that he looks forward to working closely with President Moon on other shared challenges, from North Korea to climate change," it added.
Harry J. Kazianis, a national security expert at the Centre for the National Interest, said Biden's administration would have "every incentive to try something revolutionary that would profoundly change the dynamics on the Korean peninsula".
"Biden can do something right away to signal even now that he will not abandon the progress that has been made just because it was ushered in by a political rival", he wrote to the independent Hankyoreh daily.
"Here is where words matter, for Biden should proclaim in the coming days he wants to craft a 'new-type of relationship with North Korea', stating clearly he never wants to go back to the dark days of 2017 when harsh rhetoric and threats of nuclear war were traded constantly.
"In the coming months, an effort must be made to work towards an agreement whereby Washington and Seoul relieve some of the pressure, by offering sanctions relief for a meaningful first step towards denuclearisation."
He suggested Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the Kim Jong-un, should be invited to Washington after Biden's inauguration.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg, Reuters, Kyodo
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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