U.S. State Department: The Tripartite Summit Does Not "Provocatively" Target China

U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel announced today, Tuesday, that China should not view the upcoming tripartite summit this week between leaders of the United States, South Korea, and Japan as "provocative." Patel stated during a briefing when asked about China's perspective on the summit, "There is no reason to view this summit as provocative or as a step or effort of any kind to escalate tensions." He added, "This summit is about enhancing our partnership and cooperation in several areas that we believe serve the mutual interests of our three countries."