Latest news with #ASEAN-related
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
S. Korea, US, Japan reaffirm 'strong' NK deterrence in high-level diplomatic talks
Senior diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed Friday the need to maintain "strong" deterrence against North Korea's nuclear threats and agreed to continue efforts to advance their trilateral cooperation, Seoul officials said. They shared the view during the three-way dialogue in Tokyo, where First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo was joined by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and their Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi. It marked the first vice foreign ministerial talks since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government and the second Donald Trump administration. "The vice foreign ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining strong deterrence against North Korea's nuclear threats through trilateral cooperation amid the evolving security environment," South Korea's foreign ministry said in a release. "They agreed to continue enhancing trilateral security cooperation based on the solid bilateral alliances ... and to work closely together to make progress on North Korea-related issues," it said. Park used the talks to explain Seoul's efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and resume dialogue under the Lee government, the ministry said. Friday's meeting followed the three-way dialogue that took place among Park, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on the sidelines of ASEAN-related foreign ministers meetings in Malaysia last week. Recalling the meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Park stressed that trilateral cooperation among the three nations is expanding beyond a single field to encompass security, the economy and technology. Park noted that the three countries have much to achieve together in the years ahead, adding that they share the responsibility to turn the potential of their cooperation into tangible outcomes. The three countries exchanged views on regional developments and agreed to continue efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Recognizing economic security as an area where the people of the three countries can directly feel the benefits, they agreed to further enhance practical cooperation in key and emerging technologies, especially in critical minerals, supply chains and artificial intelligence. They also noted the developments in their trilateral partnership framework, such as the launch of the trilateral secretariat, and agreed to sustain momentum in the partnership through regular dialogue. The last vice foreign ministers' meeting among the three countries took place in Seoul in October last year. On the margins of the trilateral talks, Park separately met with Landau and discussed bilateral relations and ongoing tariff negotiations, the ministry said. They committed to "making diplomatic efforts and providing support to achieve mutually beneficial and win-win outcomes in the ongoing tariff negotiations," the ministry said. During the talks, Park expressed hope that the allies would work together to further deepen and develop the alliance across a wide range of areas, including diplomacy, security, the economy and trade, as well as advanced technologies. Landau, in turn, reaffirmed the US' ironclad commitment to the alliance and to the Indo-Pacific region, expressing his desire to continue working closely with Park going forward. They also reaffirmed their shared goal of the complete denuclearization of North Korea and agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation to make progress on North Korea-related issues. Park went on to stress the importance of continued consultations at all levels, including at the leaders' level, to address bilateral issues. Agreeing to Park's point, Landau said he will make every effort in that regard. Ahead of his talks with his US counterpart, Park met one-on-one with Funakoshi to discuss bilateral relations and other related issues, including North Korea. Park told Funakoshi that South Korea will continue to build a "firm and mature relationship with Japan based on mutual respect and trust," the ministry said. They agreed on the need for closer coordination in addressing various common issues amid the complex international landscape, and to explore ways to produce tangible outcomes in their cooperation as they continue the positive momentum in bilateral ties.
The Star
13-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Philippines, US and Japan push to advance trilateral economic ties
MANILA (Bernama-PNA): The Philippines, the United States, and Japan are focused on developing their trilateral economic partnership to complement their growing security ties, the US State Department has announced. According to the Philippine News Agency (PNA), the foreign ministers of the three states - Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi - discussed the plan and the need to unlock more private sector investments in their flagship Luzon Economic Corridor. They met on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meeting in Malaysia on Thursday (July 10), the statement said. The State Department said Rubio highlighted Manila's wealth in critical minerals and stressed the need to diversify critical mineral supply chains. The officials proposed advancing trilateral cooperation in the Philippines on cyber security, energy (including civil nuclear energy), and investments in reliable and secure telecommunications networks. They concluded with an agreement to hold sectoral trilateral discussions at the senior officials' level in the coming months to advance their shared desire for peace and security in the region. In the same meeting, the officials reaffirmed their interest in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific and agreed to coordinate cooperation on maritime security, including through Maritime Cooperative Activities, trilateral military exercises, and capacity building and assistance for the Philippine Coast Guard and other Philippine maritime authorities. -- Bernama-PNA
Kyodo News
11-07-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 11, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan, U.S., Philippines reaffirm importance of navigation freedom KUALA LUMPUR - The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and the Philippines on Thursday reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation as they discussed the situation in the East and South China seas amid Beijing's aggressive maritime behavior. In the first trilateral ministerial meeting involving the three countries since President Donald Trump's return to the White House in January, the ministers confirmed their opposition to any unilateral actions toward attempting to change the status quo "by force or coercion," the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. ---------- Japan seeks free, fair trade in talks with ASEAN amid tensions KUALA LUMPUR - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya called for a "free, fair and open" international economic order in his talks Thursday with his ASEAN counterparts in Malaysia, amid trade tensions stemming from the threat of steep U.S. tariffs against Japan and the group's members. Noting the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is "at the center of global growth," Iwaya said Japan is eager to strengthen cooperation with the regional bloc, adding its role has been "increasingly important for regional peace and prosperity." ---------- Japan, U.S. top diplomats agree to support bilateral tariff talks KUALA LUMPUR - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday agreed to support bilateral tariff negotiations, following President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on Aug. 1. The two top diplomats, who met on the sidelines of ASEAN-related regional meetings in Kuala Lumpur, confirmed that they will back ministerial talks aimed at reaching a "mutually beneficial" deal, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. ---------- Chinese fighter jet flies close to Japan SDF plane: Japan gov't TOKYO - A Chinese fighter jet flew close to a Japan Air Self-Defense Force aircraft over international waters in the East China Sea, Japan's government said Thursday, in a move that could strain ties between the two countries. Following the close encounters within 70 meters between a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber and an ASDF YS-11EB electronic intelligence aircraft on Wednesday and Thursday, the government said it expressed "serious concerns" to China, calling for preventive measures. ---------- Japan urges China to ease export curbs on critical minerals KUALA LUMPUR - Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya urged his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday to ease Beijing's export restrictions on critical minerals, including rare earth elements used in semiconductors, expressing "strong concern" over the negative impact of the curbs on Japanese firms. Iwaya, who met with Wang on the fringes of regional gatherings in Malaysia, also called on China to remove the remaining import ban on Japanese food items imposed in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. ---------- Japan seeks "future-oriented cooperation" with ASEAN, 2 neighbors KUALA LUMPUR - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Thursday called for boosting "future-oriented cooperation" among the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan, China and South Korea, building on a similar accord reached by the three non-ASEAN countries in March. At the outset of the ASEAN-plus-three meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Iwaya said the trilateral process involving Japan, China and South Korea has "synergy effects" with the three nations' collaboration with the regional bloc. ---------- World Expo water shows to resume after sanitizing legionella bacteria OSAKA - Water shows at the World Exposition in Osaka will resume on Friday, after a monthlong suspension due to the detection of high levels of legionella bacteria in the venue's seawater. Expo organizers said Thursday they have decided to restart the shows after taking measures to improve water quality including sanitization. Following an examination, the level of legionella in water from the Water Plaza, a large seawater reservoir, was confirmed to be below the allowable limit under their guidelines. ---------- Bullet train services temporarily halted around Tokyo amid downpour TOKYO - Shinkansen bullet train services in and around Tokyo were temporarily halted Thursday evening due to a torrential downpour, as the country's weather agency issued multiple heavy rain warnings. Services on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line were stopped between Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama stations from around 7:20 p.m. to 8:05 p.m. after rainfall in the area met rain gauge thresholds, while those for the Tohoku Shinkansen Line were also briefly suspended between Tokyo and Sendai stations, according to JR Tokai and JR East. ---------- Video: ISS connected to Osaka Expo venue via live broadcast
The Mainichi
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan, US top diplomats agree to support bilateral tariff talks
KUALA LUMPUR (Kyodo) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday agreed to support bilateral tariff negotiations, following President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on Aug. 1. The two top diplomats, who met on the sidelines of ASEAN-related regional meetings in Kuala Lumpur, confirmed that they will back ministerial talks aimed at reaching a "mutually beneficial" deal, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. Japan and the United States have had in-person ministerial negotiations over Trump's latest tariff regime seven times. Japan's chief tariff negotiator is economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, while the U.S. side is led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Korea Herald
06-07-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Seoul pulls out all stops for deal as US tariff suspension nears end
Top security aide, trade minister ready to join hands to apply 'all-court press' to make most of trade negotiations South Korea's Lee administration is scrambling to take the edge off the United States' new tariffs, as the nation's top security adviser departed Seoul on Sunday to travel to Washington and join forces with Seoul's trade minister who arrived there the day before. Their trip to Washington came as the deadline for the 90-day "reciprocal tariff" suspension by US President Donald Trump nears. Trump told media Friday that he would begin sending out letters Monday notifying 12 undisclosed countries of higher import duties, which would be effective on Aug. 1. These would be among 56 countries including South Korea and the European Union that could be subject to a sharp US tariff hike. Before departing from Incheon Airport on Sunday morning, Wi Sung-lac, director of the presidential National Security Office, said that his trip from Sunday until Wednesday is aimed at "increasing his involvement" in negotiations as they reach a key phase. "Now that we are entering a critical stage of the negotiation, I've been increasing my involvement in it and that's my motivation behind the US trip this time," he said. Wi said that he was pursuing talks with his "counterpart," in an apparent reference to Marco Rubio, who currently doubles as the US secretary of state and national security adviser at the White House. Rubio recently canceled his plan to stop by South Korea in early July, before his attendance at the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meetings from July 10-11 in Malaysia, according to Seoul the previous week. Among the agenda for talks on the table would be "tariff negotiations, security-related negotiations, among other current affairs," Wi said, adding that the timing for President Lee's first formal meeting with Trump at the White House could also be coordinated during his US trip. The comments followed Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo's remarks just before he met his counterpart, US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer. "As the (negotiations) progress quickly, we can either team up with each other in the fields of trade, commerce and national security, or divide our responsibilities based on our given duties, depending on how the situation unfolds. Do we call it an 'all-court press?' That's the way we would handle this," Yeo told reporters in Washington on Saturday local time. Yeo arrived in Washington on Saturday, in his second trip to the US only around a week after his previous visit there from June 22-27. Lee named Yeo as his trade minister on June 10. He had previously served in the same role from August 2021 to May 2022. In the April announcement, South Korea was to be subject to a 25 percent tariff on most of its exported goods to the US. The figure translates into a combination of a 10 percent baseline tariff and a 15 percent "reciprocal" tariff. As for speculation that South Korea might be open to discussing security matters to offset tariff burdens, such as renegotiation of the US defense cost-sharing pact, Yeo said he cannot confirm what would be discussed in the non-tariff talks. Separate from the US "reciprocal" tariffs, the Trump administration has imposed tariffs on specific imports from any foreign countries, such as automobiles, auto parts, steel and aluminum. In order to minimize the impact on South Korea's export-driven economy, relying on these products, Yeo said he was pursuing a mutually beneficial outcome from his meetings with US representatives. "From our country's perspective, a reasonable level of exception or a significant reduction from specific tariffs on each item is important," Yeo said. "I have emphasized this many times before, and I plan to do so again today." Since April, when the 90-day "reciprocal" tariff suspension was in effect, the US has signed trade deals with Vietnam and the United Kingdom. Given the trade volume between South Korea and the US, Yeo said the two countries' trade deals with the US cannot be considered on par with the deal between Seoul and Washington.
