US President Barack Obama would hold a tri-lateral meeting with leaders of South Korea and Japan on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, during which they are expected to discuss North Korea and security situation in South China Sea, the White House said today.
"This meeting is an opportunity for these three leaders to discuss the threat posed by North Korea, and to discuss how we can advance our trilateral security cooperation," the Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes, told reporters during a conference call.
Dan Kritenbrink, National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs said the prime focus of the tri-lateral meeting would be North Korea.
"I think the three leaders will clearly demonstrate their unity in our commitment and our firm resolve to deter and defend against North Korean aggression," he said.
The three countries recognise that our security is linked and that it's essential that they work closely together to meet this challenge.
"I anticipate that they will call upon all in the international community to join in vigilantly implementing UN measures on North Korea," he said.
Leaders of US, Japan and South Korea will also discuss their tri-lateral security cooperation that goes well beyond the Korean Peninsula, he said.
"I anticipate that they will discuss a range of issues, including defeating ISIL to promoting global health to combating climate change, as well," he added.
Responding to a question, Rhodes said that given the shared threat posed by North Korea, and given the many shared interests between the Republic of Korea and Japan, the Obama Administration believes that facilitating greater security cooperation and improved relations is good for both countries, good for the US, and good for the Asia-Pacific broadly.
"On the South China Sea, I'd just say that we once again reiterated the principles that we would uphold as it relates to maritime disputes in the South China Sea -- most recently at Sunnylands," he said.
"Non-militarisation was certainly one of those principles, along with the peaceful resolution of disputes, support for resolving the issues consistent with international law. That's not to single out China. That's a principle that we would support as it relates to any country," he said.
"We will be very clear where we believe that there is behavior that is counter to those principles, just as we're very clear in our own interests in promoting international principles like freedom of navigation," Rhodes said.
China contends it has a historic right to most of the South China Sea, claimed by five other nations including Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei.
China has reclaimed more than 3,000 acres of land in the past two years near disputed sea lanes in South China Sea crucial for world trade.
