Biden urges Japan & S Korea to join hands to tackle threat from N Korea and China

On the eve of his face-to-face meeting with President Xi Jinping, USPresident Joe Biden met with the leaders of Japan and South Korea on Sunday to discuss managing China's assertive posture in the Pacific.They also discussed how to respond to North Korea's threatening nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

US, Japan, SouthKorea vowed 'strong and resolute' riposte to any Pyongyang nuclear test, reported AFP.

Before the three of them sat down together on the margins of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, Biden had separate meetings with the leaders of JapanFumio Kishida and South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol.

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Biden began by expressing sympathy for a crowd surge that occurred during Halloween celebrations in Seoul and killed more than 150 people, stating that the United States had grieved alongside South Korea.

"We face real challenges, but our countries are more aligned than ever,” Biden said.

Yoon and Kishida talked about North Korea's continuous aggression, including the launch of numerous missiles in recent weeks.

The intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which occurred 10 days ago and led to evacuation alerts in northern Japan, comes as the allies issue a dire threat that the isolated nation will perform its seventh nuclear test in the coming weeks.

Biden wants to utilise the discussions to improve the three nations' coordinated response to the threats posed by North Korea, according to USNational Security adviser Jake Sullivan.

(with inputs from agencies)