Japan, China and South Korea to hold talks amid US trade pressure

On Saturday, March 22, Japan and China will hold an economic dialogue for the first time in six years. On the same day, the foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea will meet in Tokyo. The countries are once again taking the initiative to strengthen economic cooperation to ease political tensions. However, this time their rapprochement is noticeably influenced by the general threat of increased import duties from the United States.

China remains Japan's largest trading partner, but political relations between the two remain tense. In addition to the long-standing territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu), tensions are heightened by issues related to Taiwan, militarization, Tokyo's rapprochement with the American strategy of confronting China, and Beijing's ban on imports of Japanese seafood following the discharge of water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant.

Before the ministerial meeting, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said that the impact of US tariffs on relations with China was exaggerated. Although Tokyo is ready to respond if Beijing raises the issue of tariffs, the likelihood of a coordinated position remains low. However, given the US plans to announce new duties on April 2, it will be difficult to avoid discussing this topic.According to experts, the protectionist measures of the United States are unprofitable for any of the countries, which may prompt them to discuss ways to boost trade.