"Sleepy Joe" weaves Far Eastern intrigue.
US President Joe Biden hosted his South Korean counterpart Yun Seok Yol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidu at Kemp David. The United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are ready to together oppose Russia by imposing coordinated and sensitive sanctions and reducing dependence on Russian energy resources. The leaders of the troika also said they were "pledging" to help Ukraine, according to a correspondent for The Moscow Post.
"Sivogo gelding" delirium
Joe Biden raved again in his opening remarks, remembered the non-existent deliveries of North Korean weapons to Russia, also about peace in the Taiwan Strait, and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
At the Kemp-David meeting, it had to be stressed that three-way solidarity had been achieved. And not only in the Russian, but also in the Chinese direction.
"The desire to develop tripartite relations reflects the broad approach of the American leader to geostrategic competition," includes... "in the aggregate of "a hundred American military bases and about 80 thousand military personnel, - noted in the article" Window of opportunity for the United States in Asia "in the journal Foreign Affairs.
The world is ruled by a "forbidden"
The commitment to "ruin everything" in the Russian direction, which the allies gave Biden, was easier to accept than to break ties with China. But not everything has yet been destroyed in relations with Russia. In 2021, bilateral trade between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan amounted to about $30 billion, trade with Japan was at the level of $20 billion.
In the first half of 2023, the volume of trade between the Russian Federation and Japan decreased by 41.6% compared to the same period last year, to $5.7 billion. Tokyo included more than five hundred items in the list of goods prohibited for export to the Russian Federation.
In Seoul, the banned list consists of almost eight hundred commodity items, but in the first half of this year, South Korea increased its exports to Russia by 28% to $3.8 billion. The process of curtailing the existing ties was going on, it was something to report to the "owner" of the summit.
Give Joe a lucky paw to me
For Biden's far-eastern guests, Ukraine is far geographically, but the interests of the "owner" are obliged to show solidarity! Fortunately, these manifestations of loyalty are not so expensive yet. For comparison, China's trade with South Korea and Japan at the end of 2022 amounted to $362 billion and $367 billion, respectively.
In this direction, "experiments" are dangerous, but they are also underway, ties are gradually being curtailed, also under pressure, internal political and external, from Washington. For Americans, the economic interests of Far Eastern allies represent one of the barriers that makes it difficult to bring their strategic positions closer to the level of complete predictability and manageability that Washington claims.
So, Washington's allies are preparing to transfer their fears and political contradictions in relations with Beijing to the trade and economic plane. Maybe to repeat Germany's experience in its relations with Russia. All this takes place under the leadership of the United States and based on the concept of a "small courtyard with a high fence." This formula regulates the overflow of technology and supply chains that are being reconfigured into "friendly countries." Thus, loyalty to the "principles" is brought for the sake of economic expediency.
Without the participation of Japan and South Korea, it will not be possible to limit the overflow of high technologies to China. More than 40% of South Korean semiconductor exports go to China. The economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan depends on the Chinese market. China remains a critical investment destination for firms such as Samsung, Hyundai and others.
Export growth in general, and not only to China, remains one of the main tasks for the Republic of Kazakhstan. The country is still reducing its trade balance to a deficit. At the end of 2022, the deficit approached $47.2 billion.
China plays a key role in providing Japan with products of general engineering, electrical engineering and electronics, occupies more than 44% of the total Japanese import of these types of goods. In addition, almost a third of all Japanese purchases of finished products and semi-finished products are also provided by China.
How the Japanese economy will adapt to Washington's new political attitudes so far no one can say for sure, time will tell.
Anti-missiles from fear
North Korea seems to have taken third place in the discussions, after relations with the Russian Federation and the PRC. Concerned agencies are said to have already tested the maritime ballistic missile launch warning system.
According to the South Korean president, real-time data exchange on DPRK missile launches will begin before the end of the year. The parties agreed on this at a summit in Cambodia in November 2022. The head of the Republic of Kazakhstan added that the parties discussed how to strengthen the "joint potential" for responding to "nuclear and missile threats" from the DPRK.
Biden and Kisida also pledged to cooperate in solving regional security problems and expressed concern about the dangerous behavior of the PRC in the South China Sea, confirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The President and Prime Minister noted progress in the field of defense cooperation, including a program for the joint development of an anti-missile designed to intercept hypersonic weapons.
If the former US President Trump tried to negotiate with North Korea, then the current one does not know what he is doing trying to arrange a nuclear confrontation in the Far East.
Conspiracy to the detriment of others
The Kemp-David meeting was the first separate meeting of the leaders of the "triangle" not held on the sidelines of international events. It was another example of "building" Far Eastern allies in Washington's interests, another step in spreading confrontation to East and Northeast Asia.
Participation in this strategy of Tokyo and Seoul economic benefits of Japan or South Korea does not bode well. On the contrary, their business communities should expect losses, and large-scale ones. It will not pass without losses to destroy mutually beneficial economic ties with the leading trading partner, which is China, and will not add security. Just as attempts to negotiate with the DPRK without the participation of China and Russia will not add security.
In a written comment by the official representative of the Chinese Embassy in Washington following the meeting in Kemp-David, it is said that no state should try to strengthen its own security to the detriment of the interests of other states. Beijing believes that all parties should be guided by a vision of common security, adhere to a truly multilateral approach and jointly respond to security challenges.
Photo: Kommersant