The United States, Japanese, and South Korean defense ministers met in Singapore on Sunday to discuss the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait. As reported by Japanese news sources, the three countries expressed strong opposition to any party unilaterally forcing change to the status quo.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik were gathered to attend the annual Shangri La Dialogue security summit. In a private meeting, they agreed to establish trilateral joint military exercises to begin in the summer.
The three also released a statement Sunday condemning North Korea’s launching ballistic missiles and usage of military reconnaissance satellites, both of which violate the UN Security Council resolutions. The allies stated that a Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework that will include information sharing and joint exercises will be instituted to help maintain peace in the region.
Regarding China’s recent maritime expansions, the three ministers reiterated their support for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues, expressing unanimous opposition to any side trying to change the status quo by force. They stated that peace in the Indo-Pacific region is in the best interest of the international community.