China, Japan, and South Korea Hold Talks to Counter Trump's Tariffs

The foreign ministers of the three biggest economies in East Asia got together to figure out how to respond.

China, Japan, and South Korea met in Tokyo on Saturday for high-level talks focused partly on how to handle what’s coming from Washington—more Trump tariffs.

With the threat of new duties on April 2, less than two weeks away, the foreign ministers of the three biggest economies in East Asia gathered to discuss their response. It comes amid rising geopolitical tensions and pressing economic issues.

“China, Japan and South Korea have the need and responsibility to further strengthen communication with each other, enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation,” said Wang Yi, who heads China’s foreign affairs, after the trilateral meeting at Japan’s foreign ministry.

He was joined by Takeshi Iwaya from Japan and Cho Tae-Yul from South Korea for the meeting, which was part of laying the groundwork for a future leaders’ summit. But with time running out ahead of the next round of tariffs and the global economy still struggling, the urgency was evident.

Ministers avoid tariffs in statement but try to calm trade fears

The agenda wasn’t officially about Trump’s tariffs, according to Japanese officials, but they were on everyone’s mind and the subject of speculation. While Wang didn’t mention them directly, he said, “We uphold multilateralism and free trade, and strive to develop economic blocs and globalization in a more inclusive direction.”

That line was a veiled jab at the U.S., which has pulled out of trade deals and imposed tariffs widely.

The Japanese foreign ministry said ahead of the meeting that it would be focused on regional cooperation and North Korea, but it was clear that everyone had Washington in mind.

China and Japan also used Saturday to restart direct economic talks, which hadn’t taken place in six years. Those talks were announced the same day, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

Beijing and Tokyo haven’t exactly been on friendly terms. China banned seafood imports from Japan after the Fukushima nuclear plant began releasing treated wastewater, a decision that continues to this day. They’re also locked in a territorial spat over disputed islands in the East China Sea, with both sides deploying ships and planes to the region.

But with Japan still reliant on China—which is its top trading partner—and Chinese companies making strong inroads into the Japanese market, forging closer ties seems pressing.

“Large Japanese companies are still making a profit from China, so Japan has no choice but to continue to do business with China,” said Norihiko Ishiguro, the chairman of the Japan External Trade Organization.

He said so while addressing concerns that Japanese firms are losing confidence in China, highlighted by a survey from late 2024 showing more Japanese companies becoming cautious.

That's due to geopolitical risks, tighter regulations, and stiffer competition from Chinese firms pushing Japanese firms to reconsider their exposure.

The Japanese foreign ministry confirmed that the Fukushima issue and the general business climate in China were both on the table in Saturday’s talks. Iwaya made it clear earlier in the week that Tokyo wanted to see some results.

“I look forward to taking this opportunity to work with China to reduce our issues and concerns step by step, while increasing areas of cooperation and collaboration,” he said.

China and Japan’s past keeps coming in today’s tensions

The talks come in a region where old wounds never fully heal. Japan and China have centuries of rivalry, shaping each other’s cultures and economies but also clashing in bloody conflicts. Japan’s invasion of parts of China in the early 20th century and the massacre in Nanjing are still remembered in China today. That history makes it difficult for the two sides to fully trust each other, especially as military tensions increase.

Xi Jinping has steadily increased China’s defense spending since taking office in 2013, more than doubling it in 10 years, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Japan answered with a military expansion of its own. In 2022, Tokyo launched a five-year plan to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP, amounting to about ¥43 trillion, or $273 billion.

After World War II, Japan largely relied on the U.S. for security, a dynamic that continues today. However, Washington has started to encourage Japan to build up its own forces, particularly to counter China’s military activity near Taiwan, which poses a direct threat to Japan’s security.

Tokyo maintains that Taiwan’s stability has direct implications for Japan. In 2022, Japan accused China of firing ballistic missiles into its exclusive economic zone during Beijing’s military drills in response to then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan.

Those actions saw Chinese coast guard ships and fighter jets move close to disputed islands that Japan administers in the East China Sea, which China claims as its own. In response, Japan’s defense ministry announced plans to add more missile bases in the region.

The urgency of the situation is