South Korea, Japan, and China will all respond to US tariffs together, according to Chinese official media

China, Japan, and South Korea decided to retaliate to U.S. tariffs together, according to a social media account linked to Chinese official media on Monday. Seoul labeled the claim “somewhat exaggerated,” while Tokyo denied any such talks.

Following the three nations’ first economic meeting in five years on Sunday, which aimed to promote regional commerce as Asian export giants prepare for U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, the state media made the remarks.

The account, Yuyuan Tantian, connected to China Central Television, stated in a Weibo post that China is interested in buying chip products from South Korea and Japan, and that Japan is looking to acquire semiconductor raw materials from China.

As stated in the post, all three parties committed to enhancing supply chain collaboration and having further discussions about export regulations.

In answer to a question regarding the report, a trade ministry official for South Korea stated that “the suggestion that there was a joint response to U.S. tariffs appears to have been somewhat exaggerated,” citing the joint statement’s text.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Japan’s Trade Minister Yoji Muto was questioned about it. He stated that although trade ministers met over the weekend, no such talks took place.

Muto described the gathering as merely a discussion of opinions.

The nations’ trade ministers decided to expedite negotiations on a free trade agreement between China, Japan, and South Korea in order to advance “regional and global trade” during their meeting on Sunday, according to a statement issued following the meeting.

The spokesperson for the South Korean trade ministry stated, “The three countries shared their understanding of the need to continue economic and trade cooperation, as you can see in the joint statement, and they exchanged views on the global trade environment.”

As he disrupts Washington’s economic relationships, the nations’ trade ministers convened ahead of Trump’s scheduled announcement of further tariffs on Wednesday, which he refers to as “liberation day.”

Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo are important commercial partners of the United States, but they have been at odds with one another over things like territorial disputes and Japan’s discharge of wastewater from the demolished Fukushima nuclear power facility.