US Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific to Visit Korea, China, and Japan... Expected Discussions on North Korea and Electric Vehicle Issues

Kritenbrink and NSC Director Chung to Visit China, Korea, and Japan Sequentially from 11th to 14th

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[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, will visit South Korea, China, and Japan from the 11th to the 14th.

On the 10th (local time), the State Department announced that Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink will visit the three countries together with Laura Rosenberger, Senior Director for China and Taiwan at the White House National Security Council (NSC). The first stop will be China, where they plan to discuss follow-up measures to the first face-to-face summit last month in Bali, Indonesia, between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, including responsibly managing competition between the two countries and exploring potential areas of cooperation. The State Department also stated that preparations are underway for Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China early next year.

Earlier, during last month's meeting with President Xi, President Biden expressed concerns about China's non-market economic practices and human rights issues, urging China to act responsibly in the international community. Regarding the Taiwan issue, he clearly opposed any unilateral changes to the status quo and mentioned that China should exercise influence over North Korea's provocations. President Xi emphasized that the Taiwan issue is a red line between the two countries and expressed dissatisfaction with U.S. measures such as supply chain disruptions. During this visit to China, the U.S. side is expected to once again raise the issue of China's responsibility regarding North Korea's provocations.

Following China, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink will visit South Korea and Japan to discuss various regional and bilateral issues. In particular, it is expected that the three countries will reaffirm their commitment to cooperation and response measures regarding the possibility of additional provocations such as North Korea's nuclear tests.

The issue of resolving discriminatory measures against Korean-made electric vehicles under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is currently under consultation between South Korea and the U.S., is also expected to be addressed. Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink previously visited South Korea in August, where he met with Foreign Minister Park Jin and other officials to discuss North Korea and the IRA issues.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.