Military leaders from the United States, Australia and Japan have expressed concerns about growing military collaboration between North Korea and Russia, as well as their arms deals, during their trilateral talks in Hawaii this week, according to a joint statement released Friday. .
“The ministers strongly condemn the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including North Korea’s export and Russia’s acquisition of North Korean ballistic missiles in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, as well as such as the use of these missiles by Russia against Ukraine,” they declared.
“They strongly condemn North Korea’s repeated missile launches, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and other launches using ballistic missile technology, which constitute serious violations of UN Security Council resolutions.”
They also reiterated their commitment to collaborating with the international community to address the “serious” threat that Pyongyang represents for the region. They renewed their call for North Korea to “immediately” resolve the abduction issue and end its human rights violations.
Taiwan and the question with China
As for China, defense leaders highlighted their “firm” opposition to any attempt by Beijing to “unilaterally alter the status quo through force or coercion in the South and East China Seas.”
Furthermore, they highlighted the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, while urging a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
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