Will US tariff pressure on Japan and South Korea push them closer to China?

Name: Trump imposes 25% unilateral tariffs on Japan, South Korea amid slow negotiation progress
Uploaded: 2025-07-08T14:10:37.000Z
Duration: 1 min 42 s
Description: Trump imposes 25% unilateral tariffs on Japan, South Korea amid slow negotiation progress

As Washington announces 25% reciprocal tariffs on its two Asian allies, analysts say Beijing has an opportunity with Tokyo and Seoul

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Japan, South Korea and the US have looked to strengthen their military partnership in the face of growing threats from North Korea and China’s assertiveness. Pictured are (left to right) the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s destroyer Atago, the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry and and the South Korean Navy’s Aegis destroyer King Sejong the Great. Photo: South Korea Defence Ministry

Alyssa Chen

Published: 10:10pm, 8 Jul 2025Updated: 10:34pm, 8 Jul 2025

Even as Washington ramps up pressure on Japan and South Korea to settle trade disputes with the US, diplomatic observers believe tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump are not likely to push its two Asian allies closer to Beijing.

However, they suggest that the trade tensions could create an opportunity for China to offer stronger incentives to enhance trilateral cooperation with Tokyo and Seoul.

The assessment was made following US announcements that reciprocal tariffs on Japan and South Korea had been raised to 25 per cent, effective from August 1.

Zhang Yun, a professor of international relations at Nanjing University, said that tariff tensions might bring the three countries to develop closer ties, but Tokyo and Seoul would not abandon their alliance with Washington.

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Trump imposes 25% unilateral tariffs on Japan, South Korea amid slow negotiation progress

He added that the pragmatic and less ideology-driven characteristics of Japanese and Korean leaders pushed them to pursue stable ties with China, which would be inclined to offer further incentives to promote economic cooperation.

Will US tariff pressure on Japan and South Korea push them closer to China?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As Washington announces 25% reciprocal tariffs on its two Asian allies, analysts say Beijing has an opportunity with Tokyo and Seoul

As Washington announces 25% reciprocal tariffs on its two Asian allies, analysts say Beijing has an opportunity with Tokyo and Seoul