Question: Please provide a readout of Assistant Secretary Campbell’s recent meetings in San Francisco, Tokyo, and Seoul.
Answer: Assistant Secretary Campbell met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai on October 23 in San Francisco for the fourth U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations.
The two sides held constructive discussions regarding each country’s policies and actions in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States emphasized its support for working with China to strengthen the role of regional institutions in enhancing security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. In that context, the United States and China discussed ways for both countries to promote greater cooperation on regional challenges, including through the East Asia Summit. The two sides also discussed pressing issues in the region, including the Senkaku Islands, North Korea, and Burma.
Assistant Secretary Campbell was in Tokyo October 25-26 to meet with Vice Foreign Minister Kawai and other Japanese counterparts.
Assistant Secretary Campbell and Vice Foreign Minister Kawai exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including the Senkaku Islands. They also discussed preparations for the upcoming East Asia Summit, and shared ideas on how to further strengthen the alliance between the United States and Japan.
Assistant Secretary Campbell also traveled to Seoul October 26-27 and met with Republic of Korea (ROK) Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun and other senior officials to continue our close consultation and coordination on the broad range of issues of importance to our alliance, including North Korea, economic issues, and regional cooperation.
He congratulated the ROK Government on its selection as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and its selection as host of the UN Green Climate Fund.
Meeting with foreign policy advisors to each of the three ROK presidential candidates, he emphasized that the United States and the Republic of Korea can expect close, constructive, deep cooperation between our two sides no matter who wins.