The leaders of Japan, the United States and South Korea issued a joint statement today after their trilateral summit at the Camp David residence outside Washington, condemning China's "dangerous and aggressive behavior" in regional waters. According to Japanese officials, this is the first time that the three countries have mentioned China by name in a joint statement by the leaders, Japan's Kyodo Agency reported, quoted by BTA

US President Joe Biden, his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described China's actions in the South China Sea as "dangerous and aggressive", in the sharpest language they have ever used in a joint statement, Reuters noted.

"We, the leaders of Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States, have gathered at Camp David to usher in a new era of our trilateral partnership," said the final version of the text, released by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

"We share common concerns about actions that are incompatible with the rules-based international order and undermine peace and prosperity in the region," the document also reads.

The three leaders accused China of "illegal claims" in the South China Sea and strongly opposed "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific region."

"Furthermore, we reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and call on the DPRK to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs," Biden, Yoon and Kishida added.

The three leaders say they are united in their support for Ukraine. "We reaffirm our commitment to support Ukraine in the fight against Russia's unprovoked and brutal war of aggression, which has shaken the foundations of the international order," they wrote.

Japan, the United States and South Korea will expand their cooperation beyond the Indo-Pacific region, and in case of "threats" they will quickly come into contact to conduct consultations, the Kyodo news agency added.

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