The United States is “fuelling confrontation” in Asia by regularizing its military behavior with South Korea, Japan, Australia, and others to create a giant military alliance, North Korea’s state media said on Monday.
Citing the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as the Quad, and the AUKUS security pact between Australia the United Kingdom and U.S., the Rodong Sinmun newspaper said that the "aggressive Indo-Pacific strategy" of the U.S. had led to tensions in the region and grave threats to peace and security.
“Although the U.S. wraps its Indo-Pacific strategy in the guise of ‘building a free and open Indo-Pacific region’ and ‘promoting peace, security, and prosperity in the world,’ it is actually trying to force its own side and mobilize its followers to surround and subdue Russia, China, and other countries to secure its hegemony,” the newspaper said.
“The U.S. military hegemony has led to the realization of a new Cold War in the Asia-Pacific region, and the atmosphere of war is hovering,” it added.
North Korea’s comments came after the leaders of the United States, India, Japan and Australia on Saturday denounced North Korea’s “destabilizing” missile launches and its nuclear program, and reaffirmed their commitment to the “complete” denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a joint statement after the four countries’ fourth in-person Quad summit in Wilmington, Delaware.
“We condemn North Korea's destabilizing ballistic missile launches and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. These launches pose a grave threat to international peace and stability,” the leaders said in a statement they called “the Wilmington Declaration.”
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The leaders also said that countries who expanded military cooperation with the North were undermining the global nonproliferation regime.
“We express our grave concern over North Korea's use of proliferation networks, malicious cyber activity and workers abroad to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs,” they said.
“In that context, we urge all U.N. Member States to abide by the relevant UNSCRs including the prohibition on the transfer to North Korea or procurement from North Korea of all arms and related materiel,” they said, referring to U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Quad leaders also condemned China’s recent aggressive actions in the South China Sea.
“We continue to express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea,” they said.
“We condemn the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including increasing use of dangerous maneuvers.”
Edited by Mike Firn.