China, Japan, and South Korea made a rare display of common cooperation to fight President Donald Trump’s taxes on foreign products.
The countries are looking to mitigate costs associated with Trump’s rough tariffs on car exports, which he announced next month. Japan and South Korea will buy silicon organic materials from China and Beijing will stable device products from Japan and South Korea, according to a social media account affiliated with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
On Monday, a blog on Weibo by Yuyuan Tantian said the Asian states are seeking to improve supply chain assistance and increase speech on trade settings, according to Reuters.
The news followed a weekend conference between China, Japan, and South Korea, during which the nations ‘ industry officials agreed to” carefully cooperate for thorough and high-level” deals on a South Korea-Japan-China free trade agreement deal to promote “regional and global trade”.
The conference sought to capitalize on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a trade deal the three countries agreed to in 2022. It was the countries ‘ first trilateral economic dialogue in five years.
Japan’s increased economic cooperation with China came amid the Trump administration’s expanded efforts to strengthen its relationship with Tokyo to fend off military threats from Beijing.
South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, center, Japanese Trade Minister Yoji Muto, and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, right, pose during the 13th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers ‘ Meeting to discuss economic cooperation in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, March 30, 2025. ( Lee Jung-hoon/Yonhap via AP )
During a trip to Tokyo on Sunday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced plans to upgrade the U. S. military’s command base in Japan.
Japan is “our indispensable partner” in “deterring communist Chinese military aggression”, Hegseth told Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, adding that Tokyo is a” cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific”.
” As my first platoon motto says,’ Those who long for peace must prepare for war.’ We must be prepared, ]and ] we look forward to working closely together]with Japan] as we improve our warfighting capabilities, our lethality and our readiness”, Hegseth said.
” Our job at the Defense Department … is to build an alliance so robust that both the reality and the perception of deterrence is real and ongoing so that the Communist Chinese don’t take the aggressive action that some have contemplated they will”, Hegseth continued. ” Japan would be on the front lines of any contingency we might face in the Western Pacific, and we stand together in support of each other”.
Despite its partnership with the Trump administration to combat China’s military ambitions, Japan signed an agreement with Beijing and South Korea over the weekend to deepen economic ties between the three Asian countries.
” We keep discussions for speeding up negotiations for a Trilateral]free trade agreement ] with a view to realizing a free, fair, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial]agreement ] with its own value”, the statement said.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW 25 % TARIFFS ON AUTO IMPORTS
The trilateral summit responded to Trump’s announcement last Wednesday of new 25 % tariffs “on all cars that are not made in the United States”. The tariffs will go into effect on April 2.
The economic sanctions promise to carry heavy repercussions for China, Japan, and South Korea, which are some of the biggest suppliers of automobile products to the United States.
