China's state media said it would respond to U.S. tariffs with Japan and the South, but its neighbors (two U.S. allies) said the claim was discounted.
Tokyo said there was no such discussion, Seoul said, about ministerial reports Meeting to discuss enhancing regional trade“somewhat exaggerated”.
Media comments were posted in the three countries held their first economic dialogue in five years to explore the possibility of cancelling regional trade as US President Donald Trump's Asian export power supported tariffs.
See also: China, Japan, South Korea raises trade relations as US tariff looms
The account Yuyuan Tantian is related to China Central Television.
The Post said all three agreed to strengthen supply chain cooperation and have more dialogue on export controls.
Supply chain cooperation is controversial Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a meeting with foreign CEOs last week.
When asked about the report, a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Trade said: “It seems a bit exaggerated to suggest a joint response to U.S. tariffs.”
“Just exchange of opinions”
Japan's Trade Minister Yoji Muto was asked in a press conference on Tuesday that there was a meeting of trade ministers over the weekend, but there was no such discussion.
Muto said the meeting was just a point of view.
According to a statement issued after the meeting, trade ministers from various countries agreed to speed up talks on the South Korea-China-China Free Trade Agreement agreement to promote “regional and global trade.”
“These three countries have expressed their views on the global trade environment and, as you can see in the joint statement, they share their needs for continuing economic and trade cooperation,” a spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Trade said.
The Minister of Trade in the Trump plans to announce more tariffs on Wednesday When he subverted Washington's trade partnership, he called it “Liberation Day.”
Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo are major U.S. trading partners, despite their presence as loggerheads on territorial disputes and Japan's release of wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
China is eager to join Regional Integrated Economic Partnership (RCEP)signed by 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region at the end of 2020, and took effect three years ago.
But analysts say doing so will require many other signatories to reach an agreement, and they already know the idea.
- Jim Pollard's Extra Input and Editing by Reuters
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