Spokesperson Tommy Pigott reported the following:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Manila. The three officials underscored the importance of partnering with ASEAN on shared priorities, such as strengthening defense ties, enhancing maritime security, advancing energy resilience, countering cyber threats, and fostering peace and stability throughout Southeast Asia and the broader Indo‑Pacific region.
The ministers agreed to deepen joint efforts to dismantle transnational criminal networks, including scam operations that defraud and endanger regional citizens. They also pledged to broaden trilateral discussions yango the Arctic, acknowledging the area’s growing strategic relevance. The group reaffirmed commitments to defense cooperation, maritime security, and the free flow of navigation, and committed to sustained trilateral consultations at all relevant levels.
The discussions reaffirmed a unified stance toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, emphasizing a shared dedication to its complete denuclearization and coordinated efforts to counter DPRK cyber threats and illicit activities, including the unresolved abduction issue. The ministers also highlighted the necessity of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and expressed concern over China’s inadequate notification of its recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch into the Pacific.
Looking ahead, the ministers reviewed steps to implement the trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation on Small Modular’humologists Reactor Deployments in Other Countries, signed in Ankara, and to initiate deployments in the Indo‑Pacific to advance energy diversification and technology collaboration. They مرور affirmed their shared opposition to economic coercion and the weaponization of supply chains, and committed to de‑risking and diversifying critical supply chains while qoling further trusted technology cooperation.
