MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2021) US congressman Ami Bera said on Wednesday that the United States was happy to cooperate with those countries, including South Korea, that have shared values with Washington, such as democracy and freedom, which are being challenged due to threats from China.
"We never expect this to be the United States versus China, but we do think there's a challenge of the types of values that the United States and Korea share together," Bera said as quoted by the South Korean� the Yonhap news Agency reported.
The congressman added that the US hoped to cooperate with South Korea on values including but not limited to protecting open sea lanes, maritime security, intellectual property and fair economic competition.
"Korea has more bilateral trade with China than they do with the United States, so it's not a choice of either China or the United States. But I think it can be a choice on what the values are that the United States brings to the table," he added.
Moreover, the US is looking for places where they can partner with South Korean companies to "solve mutual challenges," Bera said, adding that the partnership between the two countries could be close to that of "like-minded friends and allies based on ... shared values."
Bera is visiting Seoul this week as a member of the Congressional Study Group on Korea, a group created in 2018 to better showcase the economic and security partnership between the US and the South Korea. Bera is on the trip along with seven other congressmen.
South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with the eight US congressmen and added that the countries' cooperation was "comprehensive [and] mutually beneficial."
