Japan, US and South Korea call on North Korea to return to talks
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Japan, the United States and South Korea jointly affirmed that the path of diplomatic engagement with North Korea remains open, and called on North Korea to return to the negotiating table, according to a joint statement released by the US State Department following a trilateral meeting in New York on Monday, September 21. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun took part. The three sides remain firmly committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and rejected North Korea's claims that it is a country entitled to possess nuclear weapons. The three sides stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and said they oppose any attempt to change the status quo unilaterally, and agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation in sectors of strategic economic importance such as energy and critical minerals. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and took place before Chinese leader President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, September 23, for a three-day official visit to the United States. Many expect that the meeting between President Xi and President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, September 24, will cover Taiwan and North Korea in addition to trade and other key bilateral issues.