US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Australian and Japanese counterparts, Richard Marles and Minoru Kihara, met on Thursday, discussing North Korea, Russia's war in Ukraine, the South China Sea and a number of regional and global issues. Taiwan Strait, Yonhap news agency reported.
The statement said, "The ministers strongly condemned the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including North Korea's exports and Russia's purchase of North Korean ballistic missiles, which is a violation of UNSC resolutions, as well as Russia's "This includes the use of these missiles against Ukraine."
Austin, Marles and Kihara also expressed concern over Pyongyang's continued weapons development.
"The Minister is deeply concerned about North Korea's nuclear and missile developments," it said.,
"They strongly condemn North Korea's repeated missile launches, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and other launches using ballistic missile technology, which are serious violations of UNSC resolutions."
Additionally, he reiterated his commitment to working with the international community to deal with the "serious" threat posed by Pyongyang in the region.
He reiterated his call for North Korea to "immediately" resolve the abduction issue and stop its human rights violations.
In the case of China, the defense chiefs stressed their "strong" opposition to any attempt by Beijing to "unilaterally change the status quo in the South and East China Seas by force or pressure."
"This includes concerning and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea, such as unprovoked encounters at sea and in the air, militarization of conflict facilities, and dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia... and efforts to disrupt other countries." 'Offshore resource exploration,' the statement read.Furthermore, he stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, calling for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
The statement said, "The ministers strongly condemned the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including North Korea's exports and Russia's purchase of North Korean ballistic missiles, which is a violation of UNSC resolutions, as well as Russia's "This includes the use of these missiles against Ukraine."
Austin, Marles and Kihara also expressed concern over Pyongyang's continued weapons development.
"The Minister is deeply concerned about North Korea's nuclear and missile developments," it said.,
"They strongly condemn North Korea's repeated missile launches, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and other launches using ballistic missile technology, which are serious violations of UNSC resolutions."
Additionally, he reiterated his commitment to working with the international community to deal with the "serious" threat posed by Pyongyang in the region.
He reiterated his call for North Korea to "immediately" resolve the abduction issue and stop its human rights violations.
In the case of China, the defense chiefs stressed their "strong" opposition to any attempt by Beijing to "unilaterally change the status quo in the South and East China Seas by force or pressure."
"This includes concerning and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea, such as unprovoked encounters at sea and in the air, militarization of conflict facilities, and dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia... and efforts to disrupt other countries." 'Offshore resource exploration,' the statement read.Furthermore, he stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, calling for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
