US, ROK, Japan to have joint naval exercise

WASHINGTON - The US Department of Defense on Wednesday announced the United States, South Korea and Japan will conduct a two-day, trilateral naval exercise on June 21-22 in the waters south of the Korean peninsula.

According to a Pentagon release, the exercise will focus on "improving interoperability and communications with the ROK Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force," to facilitate cooperative disaster relief and maritime security activities in the future.

The Pentagon said this exercise will be conducted "beyond the territorial waters of any coastal nation."

Immediately after the exercise, the United States will then conduct a "routine carrier operation" with the South Korean Navy in the Yellow Sea on June 23-25, and the George Washington Carrier Strike Group will make a port call in Busan, South Korea, after completing the two exercises.

Over the past year, the United States has refocused its resources to the Asia-Pacific region and boosted interactions with quite a few Asia-Pacific countries in various fields.

On June 4, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said seeking peace, pursuing cooperation and promoting development are the current trends and the predominant sentiment in the Asia-Pacific region. All parties should contribute to maintaining and promoting peace, stability and development in the region, he said.

The spokesman said China hopes the United States plays a constructive role in the region and respects the interests and concerns of all parties there including China.