Asan Plenum 2024

 

“Future of Asia: Prosperity and Security”

Kurt Campbell
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State

 

I very much regret that I can’t be with you all in person, but I look forward to hearing about the great discussions that will take place over the course of the next few days.

I want to start by thanking the organizers of the Asan Plenum for bringing together such an incredible amount of expertise and talent to share thoughts on so many important topics at a critical time.

I especially want to thank Chung Mong Joon, the founder and honorary chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies for creating this venue.  He is a good friend.

And I also want to thank Dr. Yoon Young-kwan, Chairman of the Asan Institute, for inviting me to address this important gathering.

As Deputy Secretary of State, I work on advancing America’s foreign policy agenda across the entire globe.

But as a longtime Asia hand — most recently coming from the White House where I served as Indo-Pacific coordinator – I recognize that much of the history of the 21st century will be written in the Indo-Pacific.

As President Biden has said, we are at a pivotal stage where new opportunities abound but so do new challenges.

And to meet this moment – our partnerships in this part of the world have never been more meaningful, more impactful, and more results-oriented than they are now.

This is especially true with our two most important relationships in the region: our alliance with the Republic of Korea and our alliance with Japan.

Both alliances have transformed from primarily security focused relationships to truly comprehensive global partnerships, with impacts reverberating far beyond the Indo-Pacific.

In just the last year, President Biden hosted President Yoon at the White House for a State visit to mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-Korea Alliance.

Last August, he hosted both President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida together at the historic trilateral summit at Camp David.

And just a few weeks ago, he hosted Prime Minister Kishida for a State visit at the White House, as well as Philippine President Marcos for a bilateral meeting and then another historic trilateral leaders’ summit the next day.

This level of commitment from us to our nearest and dearest allies in the Indo-Pacific is not just historic but also unrivaled.

As much as we are invested in our alliances bilaterally, we also understand the tremendous importance of working together trilaterally and multilaterally and networking our alliances.

We’re creating a lattice fence arrangement with intertwined, overlapping, and interlocking engagements.

This cooperation is at the heart of President Biden’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.

When it comes to our trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan, we wouldn’t be here without the tremendous courage that President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida have demonstrated in bringing Seoul and Tokyo closer together.

The path and pace of rapprochement Japan and the Republic of Korea have committed to – technologically, politically, strategically, people to people – will have the most far-reaching and consequential impact on our partner engagement in the region.

I was there when President Biden brought President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida together to sustain discussions about where we are and where we’d like to go with this three-way relationship.

It was remarkable to see the determination on the part of both leaders.

What has also made this success possible is that our three countries share a common vision for the region, and the world.

This vision is anchored by our commitment to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, democratic norms, human rights, and the rule of law both at home and abroad.

A great example of this shared commitment is the third Summit for Democracy, hosted by the Republic of Korea about a month ago not far from where you all are sitting today.

Our collaboration on global democratic renewal is critical if we are to achieve a more peaceful, prosperous, free, and just world.

We are also delighted that both the Republic of Korea and Japan are on the Security Council this year – a recognition of each country’s leading role on the international stage.

The leader visits to Washington, the summit at Camp David, and the various engagements Secretary Blinken and I, and my predecessor Wendy Sherman, had with our counterparts are important in themselves.

But we do not just meet to reaffirm our alliances.

Over the last 12 plus months, we’ve laid out three separate sets of deliverables – three sets of commitments to each other – to fulfill the promise of the Camp David principles.

At the core of these efforts is modernizing our alliances and making sure that we are prepared to preserve the rules and norms that have brought the region so much prosperity and security.

The people of the Republic of Korea and Japan know too well the danger to peace and stability posed by the DPRK – and we are absolutely united in confronting that shared threat.

We’ve been working hand-in-hand with the Republic of Korea, Japan, and other key allies and partners about how best to engage the DPRK, deter aggression, and coordinate international responses to the DPRK’s ongoing and repeated violations of UN Security Council resolutions.

On the economic front, the United States has never been more economically connected to the Republic of Korea and Japan.

We are strengthening partnerships in emerging and transformative sectors like quantum, biotech, and artificial intelligence.

Last December, for example, we launched a new quantum workforce program in partnership with IBM and U.S., Korean, and Japanese universities that will train 40,000 students over the course of the next decade.

We also are deepening supply chain resilience in critical sectors such as semiconductors, electric vehicles and EV batteries, pharmaceuticals, and much, much more.

Our economic security and prosperity will continue to grow, benefiting our peoples and others around the world.

As President Biden has made clear, our partners and allies are critical if we are to be successful in seizing these key opportunities and maintaining our readiness to confront the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.

At the forefront of those partnerships, our bilateral and trilateral bonds with the Republic of Korea and Japan will define the Future of Asia and grow our collective prosperity and security.

Thank you very much and I wish you a wonderful conference.

You’re helping us advance our agenda in this key region ahead.