China, Japan, and South Korea have agreed to form a joint response to U.S. tariffs, according to a post published Monday by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. The move comes just days before U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce additional tariffs as part of what he calls "liberation day."
The agreement followed the first economic dialogue in five years between the three Asian export giants, held Sunday amid escalating trade tensions with the United States. The trilateral meeting focused on reinforcing regional trade cooperation and mitigating the impact of pending U.S. trade restrictions.
"All three sides agreed to strengthen supply chain cooperation and engage in more dialogue on export controls," the Yuyuan Tantian post stated.
During the discussions, Japan and South Korea expressed intentions to import semiconductor raw materials from China, while China indicated interest in acquiring chip products from its two neighbors. These trade alignments underscore the growing interdependence among the three economies, particularly in the strategically sensitive semiconductor sector.
The nations also reaffirmed plans to revive negotiations for a three-way free trade agreement. A joint statement from the meeting confirmed that the countries' trade ministers had agreed to "closely cooperate for comprehensive and high-level" talks on a South Korea-Japan-China trade deal aimed at advancing "regional and global trade."
The talks took place as President Trump prepares to announce a new wave of tariffs on Wednesday, which he has framed as a strategic reset of U.S. trade policy. Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul-despite ongoing disputes over territory and Japan's release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear facility-appear to be aligning in the face of a common economic threat.
