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Any Moment: Biden And Leaders Of Japan, S. Korea To Speak; Soon: Lahaina Residents To Speak On Fire Response; Biden Speaks At Historic Summit With Leaders Of Japan, S. Korea. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 18, 2023 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Any minute now, President Biden is set to speak alongside the leaders of Japan and South Korea. The President using Camp David to help deepen ties between these two key allies, especially amid increasingly provocative actions by China and also North Korea. We're going to bring you his remarks live.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, the ATF now on the ground, joining the investigation in Hawaii into what caused the fires on Maui. More than a thousand people still missing. Crews have not yet even searched half of the burn zone.

And lawyers for Donald Trump are pushing to delay his federal trial over the 2020 Election for more than two years. We're going to show you their legal arguments, why they are arguing to push it back and whether the judge in the case will buy their reasoning.

You're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

At any moment, we are expecting to hear from President Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea. You're looking at a live picture right now of Camp David. Today, they are making history, the first ever trilateral summit with those two countries.

SCIUTTO: Yes, a place where so much history has been made in diplomacy through the years, Camp David. Their common goal to show of unity and force in the face of a rising China, also an increasingly provocative nuclear arm North Korea.

CNN White House Correspondent, Arlette Saenz, joins us from Camp David.

Arlette, this is quite a moment to get these three countries together, unified in their view, certainly of China, the threat from China in the region and also North Korea. How did this come about?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim. It really was once unimaginable, the idea that South Korea and Japan would be entering into a trilateral agreement with any country given the years of mistrust and tension between their two countries. But today, in just a short while, you will see President Biden and the prime minister of Japan and president of South Korea appear here as they are meeting for their first ever trilateral summit.

President Biden earlier today praised this as a historic moment as they are entering a new chapter of relations. The President arguing that the countries are stronger and the world will be safer as these three countries are now working together. The President is using the backdrop of this presidential retreat at Camp David to try to broker and have this show of unity between the three countries as they are dealing with increasingly provocative behavior from North Korea as well as China, which has continued to assert its military and economic power in the region.

Now, as the result of this trilateral summit, we are expecting the leaders to make a few announcements, talking about ways that they are deepening their defense cooperation, things like having annual military exercises, as well as regular ballistic missile drills together. They're also going to talk about intelligence sharing agreements that they are coming to and they are taking steps to set up a three-way hotline for the leaders to consult during times of crisis. They are also going to say that they are making this summit an annual event, hoping that it will last beyond into future administrations.

Now, one thing that is key here is that the announcements that are coming today, they are not exactly akin to that NATO Article 5, which is an assurance that says that an attack on one is an attack on all. We've heard China criticize this type of alliance between the U.S., South Korea and Japan as a mini-NATO.

But officials have stressed that what they are announcing here is a commitment to consult, so that the leaders can talk together when any one country is facing a national security threat. So, in a little bit, we will hear from both the President, Biden, as well as President Yoon of South Korea and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan, as they will lay out this historic moment between the countries.

And of course, Camp David has just been a site for so many high-stakes diplomatic moments. Winston Churchill, was the very first foreign leader to visit here with FDR. You had the Camp David Accords during the time of Jimmy Carter's presidency, which led to a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.

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There had been other attempts, like Bill Clinton tried to get a peace agreement here in 2000 that ultimately did not forge ahead. But President Biden is hoping to make his own mark on history here at Camp David and further make the case for his argument that strengthened alliances are key to America's future.

SCIUTTO: No question, so much history there.

Arlette Saenz at Camp David, thanks so much.

The other big headline we're following this hour. Less than an hour from now, residents of Lahaina on Maui set to address how officials responded and didn't respond to the deadly wildfires in their community. At least 111 people now confirmed dead, 1,000 people or more could still be missing, just shocking numbers.

More and more pointed questions, including why Maui's warning sirens were silent as the fires spread. The island's emergency management chief, Herman Andaya, resigned one day after defending the decision not to activate those sirens. We're also learning that the ATF is on the ground, joining in the investigation of the fire's origins.

So many hard questions that need answers now, Boris?

SANCHEZ: And a lot of people that need help right now.

So let's discuss with Keani Rawlins-Fernandez. She sits on the Maui County Council. Thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us today.

Keani, what is it like on the ground right now, 10 days out from when this fire started?

KEANI RAWLINS-FERNANDEZ, MAUI COUNTY, HAWAII COUNCIL: Aloha and mahalo for having me on.

Right now on the ground, we still see a lot of our community being - working really hard to support each other, getting out all the supplies that are needed. We see the different islands sending boats with supplies, ice, generators, everything that the West Side community needs right now.

You just see tremendous amount of love and unity and aloha and support for each other and it's what we need right now. But I also wanted to share a little bit about the distrust that is going on with some of what you just mentioned about what the government is doing and how it's responding or not responding, and the disparities that the different communities are being - like how they're being treated.

I wanted to give voice to our Kanaka Maoli, our Native Hawaiians, that are feeling like they're - that this is an attempt to erase our people to physically remove us, remove Native Hawaiians from the land so that they can use this opportunity, this disaster to profit off of and realtors have been calling ...

SANCHEZ: Keani, you're speaking of - I'm just wondering, you're speaking of predatory folks that are now showing up where people have lost property and they're offering them a fraction of what their property is worth in order to take it on?

RAWLINS-FERNANDEZ: That is exactly what I'm talking about. I guess this is called disaster capitalism, where they're using this disaster to - as people are suffering from the trauma and in a desperate condition to buy off property so that later they can build it for profit. And our governor just had our water director removed. The director on the Commission on Water Resource Management ...

SANCHEZ: Wow. RAWLINS-FERNANDEZ: ... and the community is just trying to deal with the aftermath of this fire and come together and it's so inspiring. But now community leaders that's been supporting our community are now having to be pulled to call on the governor to please reinstate Kaleo Manuel to the Commission on Water Resource Management as ...

SANCHEZ: Wow.

RAWLINS-FERNANDEZ:... the deputy director of DLNR.

SANCHEZ: Quickly, Keani, we are awaiting President Biden right now at the White House. He's headed to Hawaii on Monday. What is your message to the White House?

RAWLINS-FERNANDEZ: Mahalo for everything that they're doing to please work with our community. Our community is amazing and to just support the community-led efforts and to please not let this become an opportunity for disaster capitalism.

SANCHEZ: Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today. We are set to hear from President Biden at any moment. We hope he perhaps has some words for the folks in Maui. Jim?

SCIUTTO: We are watching events at Camp David where President Biden is bringing together the leaders of Japan and South Korea: Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol; the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida.

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It's the first time there has been a trilateral summit between these three nations. Of course, the U.S. has deep - decades-long relations with both Japan and South Korea. But Japan and South Korea themselves have often had tense relations, the three now coming together in a new military agreement, not quite alliance, says the U.S. China has a different view.

Joining me now, CNN Global Affairs Analyst, Kim Dozier; CNN Chief National Affairs Correspondent, Jeff Zeleny; CNN Senior International Correspondent, Ivan Watson also there, of course, Boris and I together.

As we await the President's comments here any moment now, Kim Dozier, the White House is saying this is not a mutual defense agreement with an Article 5 explicit commitment from the U.S. to go to the defense of both Japan, South Korea and South Korea and Japan. Although, the U.S. has those individual agreements with each of those countries. China calls it a mini-NATO. What is it exactly and what is it not?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, the thing with NATO is those are treaties.

SCIUTTO: Mm-hm.

DOZIER: This is not a treaty like lawyers haven't decided this and signed on the dotted line. But there is going to be a hotline for them to call. So if there is a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, if there's some sort of issue between fishing ships, trawlers and Chinese ships that these countries get involved, they are establishing a way to coordinate a response with each other.

They have mutual concerns, North Korean missiles, Chinese economic predation, North Korea's intransigence in general and also the war in Ukraine. So there are ways that they have aligned and these three leaders are trying to make sure that they can make something stick out of this moment.

SANCHEZ: And importantly, even though they overlap on so many areas, historically, there have been a lot of disagreements between these two powers.

Ivan, that's part of the reason that this is so historic and a pivotal moment for President Biden.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. And look, you can credit the Biden administration for helping bring these two American allies that had these deep historical differences together. But I also think you can credit China and its actions here in Asia, that it has worried powers like Japan and South Korea, who are traditionally trading partners with China. It's made them worried and made them realize that they have to kind of come together.

North Korea also pursuing its nuclear weapons program, firing missiles that threaten both of these countries. And, of course, Russia invading Ukraine and China cozying up to Russia, all of that has made the landscape in the region much more unpredictable and that's part of what is bringing these three countries together like this.

One of the big concerns, though, is all of the leaders involved here are having some problems in the polls at home. And so a question is, how do you get the mechanisms that they're - we're expecting they're going to agree on to last if there is a change in power in Seoul or Tokyo or Washington.

SCIUTTO: One reason a priority is having established lines of communications, a duty to consult, they're calling it effectively a hotline is because there have been a number of close calls short of war, but worries about escalations. You had a Chinese warship cut off a U.S. warship. You had a Chinese aircraft coming quite close to U.S. surveillance aircraft.

Here's the Chinese warship cutting off the U.S. destroyer just a number of weeks ago. The concern is these small instances turn into something bigger.

Ah, let's go back to Camp David there. We could see President Biden approaching the podium with the leaders of Japan and South Korea. The Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, the prime minister, Fumio Kishida.

So much history here, Boris. There's a reason President Biden chose Camp David. This is where, of course, Jimmy Carter sat down with the Israeli and Egyptian leaders to make peace. Now we have a new alliance here, in effect. SANCHEZ: President Biden is seeking to echo history with his choice of that location. It comes at an important time, too, when there are key questions about China's economic future. So look forward, perhaps, to some conversation about the economic security of these two powers and their relationship with the United States as well.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And as China weakens economically, does it become more dangerous.

Let's listen in to the President and the leaders of Japan and South Korea.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Camp David.

If I seem like I'm happy, it's because I am. This has been a great, great meeting.

Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, I - we meet in this historic place to make a historic moment. And I believe that to be true.

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The - this is a new era in partnership between Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States - our new Camp David trilat. That's what we have here.

And - but before we dive into the progress we've made today - if you excuse, we used to say in the Senate, "a point of personal privilege," I want to start by expressing my appreciation for the contribution that your countries have made toward the relief following the devastating wildfires in Hawaii. I want to thank you both on behalf of the American people.

I also want to note that my team is closely monitoring Hurricane Hilary, which is - has the potential to bring significant rain and flooding to southern California. FEMA has pre-positioned personnel and supplies in the region, and they're ready to respond as needed. I urge everyone - everyone in the path of this storm to take precautions and listen to the guidance from state and local officials.

And you've heard me say it before: The Republic of Korea and Japan are capable and indispensable allies.

Now, to the purpose of why we're here.

America's commitment to both countries is ironclad, and my personal commitment to bringing these three nations together was real from the very beginning.

Since last summer, we've met on the margins of the NATO Summit in Spain, the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia and the G7 Summit in Japan. And today, we've made history with the first-ever standalone summit between the leaders of our three countries, as well as our commitment to meet together on the leader level annually and to have all of our relative Cabinet-member people meet on a regular basis for - from this point on; not just this year, not next year - forever. That's the - that's the intention.

And so, I want to recognize the important work that both of you have done and the political courage - and I mean this sincerely - the political courage that you've both demonstrated to resolve difficult issues that would've stood in the way for a long time of a close relationship between Japan and Korea and with the United States.

Your leadership, with the full support of the United States, has brought us here, because each of you understands that our world stands at an inflection point - a point where we're called to lead in new ways: to work together, to stand together. And today, I'm proud to say our nations are answering that call.

First, we're elevating our trilateral defense collaboration to deliver in the Indo-Pacific region. That includes launching annual multidomain military exercises, bringing our trilateral defense cooperation to an unprecedented levels.

We're doubling down on information sharing, including on the DPRK's missile launches and cyber activities, strengthening our ballistic missile defense cooperation.

And, critically - critically, we've all committed to swiftly consult with each other in response to threats to any one of our countries from whatever source it occurs. That means we'll have a hotline to share information and coordinate our responses whenever there is a crisis in the region or affecting any one of our countries.

And today, we've reaffirmed - all reaffirmed our shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and addressing economic coercion.

We're going to continue to counter threats from the DPRK, including cryptocurrency money laundering to the tune of billions of dollars; potential arms transfer in support of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine.

And together - together, we're going to stand up for international law, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.

Second, we're expanding our economic cooperation to build an Indo- Pacific that is peaceful and prosperous.

Today, we've committed to launch a new - what we call a "Supply Chain Early Warning System" - excuse me, a Supply Chain Early Warning System Pilot and - which will alert our nations to disruptions of certain products and materials, like critical minerals or batteries, so we can get ahead of the issues as we - they appear with the experience - that we've experienced in - during the pandemic.

Excuse me, this is falling off. There you go.

And building on the G7-led Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, we're deepening cooperation between our development finance institutions to mobilize more financing for quality infrastructure and secure communications technology to help low-income and middle-income countries throughout the region take on the challenges that matter most to their people.

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And finally, our partnership is about building a better future for our people. That's why we're deepening our cooperation on global health and launching a trilateral expert exchange in support of the U.S. Cancer Moonshot initiative. That's going to, I believe, change cancer as we know it.

It matters a great deal to me and to families all across our three countries. In the United States, we are revolutionizing the way we do cancer research. And together, the three of us, I am confident we can harness our shared spirit of innovation and end cancer as we know it.

We're also launching a new collaboration between our National Laboratories and advance our science knowledge and technological capabilities together. As we do, we'll work in lockstep to set the standards for safe, secure, and trustworthy emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, which a lot of work has to be done on.

Let me close with this. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, this is the first summit I've hosted at Camp David as President. I can think of no more fitting location to begin the next era - our next era of cooperation - a place that has long symbolized the power of new beginnings and new possibilities.

In the months and years ahead, we're going to continue to seize those possibilities together - unwavering in our unity and unmatched in our resolve. This is not about a day, a week, or month. This is about decades and decades of relationships that we're building.

Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. President, I want to thank you for your leadership - and I say it again - for your courage that brought us together. And I look forward to working with you both of you ahead.

Now I yield to - who am I yielding to?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Distinguished guests ...

BIDEN: There you go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the President of the Republic of Korea.

BIDEN: We needed the voice of God to tell us that.

YOON SUK YEOL, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (through interpreter): First of all, I'd like to thank President Biden for his warm hospitality. It is a great pleasure to visit Camp David along with Prime Minister Kishida. Camp David is a site that bears historical significance where important diplomatic decisions were made at critical junctures of modern history.

In order to respond to today's unprecedented polycrisis, the ties between our three countries, which are the most advanced liberal democracies in the region and major economies leading advanced technology and scientific innovation, are more important than ever.

From this moment on, Camp David will be remembered as a historic place where the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan proclaimed that we will bolster the rules-based international order and play key roles to enhance regional security and prosperity based on our shared values of freedom, human rights and rule of law.

Today, we, the three leaders, held the very first standalone trilateral summit marking a new chapter in our trilateral cooperation. Today, we have agreed on the Camp David principles that will function as the enduring guidelines for our trilateral cooperation. In addition, we have developed the Spirit of Camp David, which is a document embodying the vision of our trilateral cooperation and ways to translate our will to cooperate into action.

First of all, to facilitate the stable development of our trilateral cooperation, we have built the institutional basis for the trilateral cooperation at multiple levels and sectors. In addition to making our trilateral summit regular, we have agreed to have our governments' personnel at all levels - including foreign ministers, defense ministers, and national security advisors - meet every year to closely coordinate our trilateral cooperation.

In particular, we, the three leaders, have agreed to establish a communication channel so we can swiftly coordinate and respond together in case an urgent issue occurs in the region.

Furthermore, to bolster our trilateral strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, our three countries will establish the ROK, U.S., Japan Indo-Pacific dialogue, which will discover new areas of cooperation.

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Also, along with the economic security dialogue led by our three countries' NSCs, we have agreed to found a consultative body for development policy coordination and also build cooperation frameworks in various sectors including global health and women empowerment.

We have also decided to hold our ROK, U.S., and Japan Global Leadership Youth Summit to strengthen ties between our future generations.

Second, we have agreed to step up our security cooperation to ensure our people's safety and peace in the region based on the now institutionalized Cooperation Framework.

First of all, to this end, we have consulted on practical ways to cooperate, aimed at improving our joint response capabilities to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, which have become sophisticated more than ever. The real-time sharing of DPRK missile warning data, which was agreed upon during the Phnom Penh summit last November, will be activated within this year. And this will make a significant progress in strengthening our three nations' capabilities to detect and track North Korea's missiles. In countering the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats, we concurred the trilateral defense exercises were crucial. As such, annual plans will be established for the ROK, U.S., Japan drills we committed to.

In the meantime, as North Korea funds its nuclear and missile programs by exploiting labor and human rights, efforts to monitor and stem such activities will be redoubled. To deter the DPRK's illicit funding activities, a new trilateral working group on DPRK cyber activities will be established.

Moreover, Korea, the U.S., and Japan, in their pursuit of Indo-Pacific strategies, oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force.

Respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes, among others, undergird a rules-based international order that we resolve to safeguard by intensifying our collaboration.

As part of such endeavors, our three nations agreed to support ASEAN and Pacific Island countries with their maritime security capacity- building efforts.

Furthermore, to help Ukrainians regain freedom and pursue reconstruction, we are determined to increase our three-way coordination.

Next, we, the three leaders, discussed how to work together to promote shared prosperity and future growth. First of all, in the field of economic security directly linked to our national economies of the three countries, we will work to expand our strategic partnership.

To ensure global supply chain resilience and energy security, we pledged to bolster our trilateral cooperation. To manage global supply chain risks, an early warning system will be established together.

In addition, we decided to broaden our collaboration in the field of cutting-edge technologies to secure future growth engines. Specifically, in AI, quantum, bio, and next-generation telecommunications and space sectors, cooperation among our three countries will deliver powerful synergies.

Korea, the U.S., and Japan committed to have their national laboratories expand joint R&D and personnel exchanges, providing a cornerstone for the three countries' leadership in science and technology innovation.

Moreover, for the sake of shared prosperity in the Asia Pacific, in line with the needs of ASEAN and Pacific Island countries, effective support measures will be sought and implemented collectively.

Today, we, the three leaders, affirmed our commitment to the trilateral partnership towards a new era and possibilities thereof.

Grounded in the core values of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, a strong alliance of values among Korea, the U.S., and Japan will help build a world that's more peaceful and prosperous by serving as a sturdy foundation.

Mr. President, I thank you once again for your hospitality. Next time, I hope that we will be reunited in the Republic of Korea.

Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Distinguished guests, the Prime Minister of Japan.

BIDEN: President.

KISHIDA FUMIO, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through interpreter): Thank you. First of all, in Maui, Hawaii, wildfires caused devastating damage.

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