Joint Statement : AWC-Japan | AWC Korea Committee | Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines) | China Taiwan labor Rights Association | MIGRANTE-Japan
United States President Joe Biden will visit South Korea on May 20-22 and then Japan on May 22-24. During his stay in both countries, he will hold summit talks with leaders of both countries. He will also attend the summit meeting of the QUAD or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which is composed of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India, in Tokyo on May 24, 2022.
We, the people in the Asia-Pacific region, firmly oppose Biden’s visit to South Korea and Japan, and the holding of the QUAD summit meeting. These are the latest efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Japanese imperialist control in the region. It will raise political and military tensions, and bring further repression to the people in the region.
The main purpose of Biden’s visit to East Asia and the Quad summit meeting is to strengthen the political and military containment of China under the so-called “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) strategy. Prior to his visit to South Korea and Japan, Biden invited the leaders of the ASEAN countries to Washington for a special summit meeting. It had also same purpose.
Today, U.S. and Japanese imperialism try to justify the reinforcement of their military posture in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region by using the “China threat”. However, the main factors of growing political and military tensions in the region are due to the maneuvers by U.S. and Japanese imperialism, who are trying to maintain their dominance in the region.
The summit talks between Biden and the newly elected South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, may bring expanding of the U.S.-ROK joint military exercises and official deployment of the THAAD missile system in Soseong-ri, South Korea. These cause escalation of military tensions over the Korean Peninsula.
Through the U.S.-Japan summit talks, Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida intend to further promote military integration of both forces, including the formulation of the U.S.-Japan joint operation plan for possible “emergency over Taiwan Strait.” Japan also tries to expand its own military capability through acquiring the so-called “enemy base attack capabilities,” and revision of the Japanese Constitution.
At the same time, Biden’s visit to Seoul and Tokyo may cause further promoting the U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral military collaboration. We strongly oppose it.
The U.S.-Japanese imperialism, through the QUAD or QUAD Plus formation, try to strengthen its economic and political domination in the region. They also accelerate their moves toward establishment of a kind of “Asian NATO.” It increases tensions in Asia-Pacific. We resist imperialist exploitation and plunder. At the same time, we firmly oppose further strengthening of the U.S.-led military alliances and multilateral military coordination in the region.
We support people’s protests in South Korea and Japan to resist the U.S. President Biden’s visit and holding of the QUAD summit meeting. We fight together for liberation from imperialist control in the region. People in the Asia Pacific region should unite and fight against imperialist exploitation, plunder, military rule and war-provocations in the region.
