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

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

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.