The United States is requiring South Korea to support its strategy of containing communist China as a condition for bilateral shipbuilding cooperation, a South Korean official said on July 11.
Speaking at a parliamentary forum on tariff negotiation strategy, Chang Sung-gil, director general for Trade Policy at South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said the Trump administration has made its expectations clear.
“The prerequisite for the shipbuilding cooperation is South Korea’s participation in Washington’s efforts to contain China,” Chang told lawmakers.
Chang’s comments come amid ongoing trade talks between Seoul and Washington. South Korea is actively seeking exemptions or reductions in U.S. tariffs on its critical exports, such as cars and steel, as Washington seeks to reduce its trade deficit. The urgency intensified following President Donald Trump’s July 7 announcement of a new 25 percent tariff on South Korean imports, set to take effect on Aug. 1 unless a bilateral agreement is reached….
US Links Shipbuilding Deal With South Korean Support of China Containment Policy: Seoul Official
