China, Japan and South Korea agreed to jointly respond to U.S. tariffs, a social media account affiliated with Chinese state media said on Monday, an assertion Seoul called "somewhat exaggerated", while Tokyo said there was no such discussion.

China's reaction to new U.S. tariffs will likely focus on domestic stimulus and strengthening ties with trading partners, analysts said.

At the heart of this shift is the Philippines, which faces persistent Chinese incursions into its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). General Romeo Brawner Jr., head of the Philippines' Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported an average of 286 Chinese vessels operating daily last year within the EEZ, up from 190 in 2021. ​

China is seeking to coordinate its response to U.S. tariffs with Japan and South Korea, Chinese state media said.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a plan to upgrade the U.S. military command in Japan, an "indispensable" country against Chinese aggression.

The United States, Japan and the Philippines have staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance.

Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo are major U.S. trading partners, although they have been at loggerheads among themselves over issues, including territorial disputes.

Japan has protested and sought the partial removal of a statement made by China describing a discussion held between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, according to Japan’s government spokesperson.

(Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Pool Photo via AP) Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya speaks during their trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting with China and South Korea in Tokyo Saturday, March 22, 2025.(Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Pool Photo via AP) South Korean ...

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan called for an end to actions that "destabilize" security around the Taiwan Strait, in what appears to be a veiled warning to China amid increasing military exercises in the area.