Reshaping U.S.–South Korea–Japan Trilateral Relations

When the U.S. government developed its “America First” philosophy during the last four years, the position of global leadership was left vacant. Since Joe Biden entered the White House as 46th President of the United States, he announced, “diplomacy is back at the center of foreign policy.” While that may be the case, significant challenges remain. Regaining global leadership, reassuring alliances, and reestablishing credibility are the most urgent American foreign policy objectives. Particularly, repairing key U.S. allies in the East Asia region is urgent to rebalance the power between the United States and China—the region considered most critical with respect to global security and economic growth. The United States needs to cooperate with key allies such as South Korea and Japan to avoid repeating mistakes made by its predecessor and to confront the challenge of China’s expanding influence. China’s strategic diplomacy has been bold and sophisticated, so the United States should rethink its strategies to face the geopolitical prowess of China and realign its relations with regional partners to reinforce regional security and influence in East Asia. To that end, Washington should proceed in building high technology and economy-focused trilateral relationships and secure the foundation of regional alliances.