South Korea, US, Japan to announce establishment of trilateral secretariat this week

Washington, Nov 15 (IANS) South Korea, the US and Japan will announce the establishment of a trilateral secretariat when their leaders meet on the margins of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru this week, a senior US security official said.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the remarks as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are set to hold a trilateral summit on the sidelines of the annual forum in Lima on Friday, Yonhap news agency reported.

Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have been pushing to create the secretariat as part of their efforts to "institutionalise" three-way cooperation that has deepened since their leaders held the first standalone trilateral summit at Camp David in August last year.

"One of the main things that will come out of tomorrow is the establishment of a secretariat for the trilateral on a going-forward basis so that there is an institutional framework," Sullivan told reporters during a press briefing.

"This isn't just a series of leaders' meetings. It is, in fact, something that has a home in all three governments, and the three governments can cooperate at every level on trilateral collaboration," he added.

Sullivan said Yoon, Biden and Ishiba are expected to take additional steps of cooperation in a range of areas, including trilateral Defence exercises.

"For example on trilateral exercises, we've had our first significant trilateral exercise, Freedom Edge, and now at this meeting, (Biden) will talk about how to step up trilateral exercises," he said.

"We've made progress on technology protection, on supply chain diversification, on missile warning and the sharing of data concerning missile warning. In all of those areas, we expect to take further steps tomorrow."

If established, the trilateral secretariat would mark a culmination of cooperation among the US and its two core Asian allies following the landmark Camp David summit, which produced a series of agreements, including the "Commitment to Consult" each other in the event of a shared threat.

With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office in January, questions remain over whether efforts to institutionalise trilateral cooperation can continue. Observers said Trump could take what has been perceived as an isolationist foreign policy approach under his "America First" credo.

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