WASHIGNTON: Japan, the United States and South Korea will hold a meeting of their leaders on the sidelines of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Wednesday.

The trilateral meeting will bring together Japanese Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru, US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Sullivan did not mention a specific date for the trilateral summit. Biden is scheduled to visit Peru from Thursday to Saturday.

During his first term in office, US President-elect Donald Trump was known for his stance of making light of alliances.

In the upcoming talks, the three leaders are expected to discuss the institutionalization of trilateral cooperation with an eye on Trump’s inauguration in January.

Speaking at a press conference, Sullivan said that the three leaders will “discuss the importance of institutionalizing the progress” that their countries have made so that “it carries forward through the transition.”

Also on Wednesday, the US State Department said Secretary Antony Blinken will hold talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya in Lima, the capital of Peru, on Thursday. The two sides are expected to confirm their commitment to strengthening deterrence and deepening the Japan-US alliance, ahead of the first face-to-face meeting between Ishiba and Biden since the prime minister took office last month.

JIJI Press