China, Japan, and South Korea are considering a coordinated response against any tariffs imposed by the U.S. on the three countries, according to reports. The news of reporting discussions was noteworthy in that Japan and South Korea are strong U.S. allies and have not typically aligned with China on many issues in recent years.
Over the past decade, economic relations between the three countries stalled.
During the President Xi Jinping era of Chinese politics, which began in 2012, relations between China and its nearby neighbors deteriorated, as China pushed a series of China-first policies. However, recent actions by the Trump administration to impose a wide range of tariffs against all countries has forced the hands of foreign leaders to think “outside the box.”
On Sunday, March 30, 2025, officials from China, Japan, and South Korea met in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, for their first economic meeting in over five years. While Chinese state media soon reported that an agreement on a coordinated response had been reached, the Japanese and South Korean governments issued their own announcements that no agreements were reached at the economic summit.
However, even if the countries are just in the early stages of talking, that is noteworthy. With all three countries facing potentially huge increases in costs to export to the U.S., past disagreements may not matter as much if billions of dollars are on the line. Tariffs will affect each of the three countries, and a response will be needed. The more countries (and their respective economies) band together in a response to the tariffs, the higher the leverage they will have to push back against the U.S. government.
The decision of the U.S. government to impose tariffs on the three countries may have long-lasting ramifications for global power in the region.
Traditionally, for the past half-century, the U.S. has been the bedrock decision-maker for its key allies in East Asia. However, with China engaging with its neighbors, the geopolitical and economic calculus may be changing. Depending on how the U.S. follows through with its tariff threat, the transition in the region may be longer-lasting than anticipated.
Back in 2012, China, Japan, and South Korea met to discuss a potential regional free-trade deal, but talks fell through and progress stalled for the last decade. This past weekend, they all agreed to restart talks and try and reach a deal, given the pressing situation for each of the countries.
Although all three countries are substantially involved with the U.S. on the trade front, South Korea has a special consideration: after Mexico, it is the largest exporter of automobiles to the U.S.
