Japan, South Korea and China agreed on Sunday to continue trilateral economic and trade cooperation to address "emerging challenges," a partnership that has become more crucial than ever as the U.S. trade war shatters the global order.
We will keep discussions for speeding up negotiations for a Trilateral FTA with a view to realizing a free, fair, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial FTA with its own value," they said in a joint statement issued after the meeting.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/03/30/japan-china-south-korea-trade-ministers/
Our two largest allies, and our largest trading partners, aside from China, in the Far East, are turning towards China for support. Tariffs are a recipe for losing friends and making our enemies stronger. America in decline.

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The ministers agreed to speed up negotiations toward a free trade agreement (FTA) between the three countries, which have not been able to deliver any tangible results since the negotiations started in 2012.

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Let's see how that works out for them.

Of course they hate our tariffs. They've been ripping us off for decades and now the party has ended.

rgvag11 said:

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Japan, South Korea and China agreed on Sunday to continue trilateral economic and trade cooperation to address "emerging challenges," a partnership that has become more crucial than ever as the U.S. trade war shatters the global order.
We will keep discussions for speeding up negotiations for a Trilateral FTA with a view to realizing a free, fair, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial FTA with its own value," they said in a joint statement issued after the meeting.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/03/30/japan-china-south-korea-trade-ministers/
Our two largest trading partners in the East are turning towards China for support. Tariffs are a recipe for losing friends and making our enemies stronger. America in decline.

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This attempt is probably the most classical case of a sheep bleeping at something they know nothing about.

All of those countries HATE CHINA. If they need alternatives to consider then so be it…..but the idea tariffs are going to harm strategic, shared security interest is LOL funny.

Bless your heart.

rgvag11 said:

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Japan, South Korea and China agreed on Sunday to continue trilateral economic and trade cooperation to address "emerging challenges," a partnership that has become more crucial than ever as the U.S. trade war shatters the global order.
We will keep discussions for speeding up negotiations for a Trilateral FTA with a view to realizing a free, fair, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial FTA with its own value," they said in a joint statement issued after the meeting.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/03/30/japan-china-south-korea-trade-ministers/
Our two largest trading partners in the East are turning towards China for support. Tariffs are a recipe for losing friends and making our enemies stronger. America in decline.

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So Japan and South Korea think turning to China and its terrible economy is the answer? They will change their tune in short order.

They're annoyed at the established order of business being disturbed, and losing isome market for production. I'm not concerned about that. I'm concerned I already have a job domestically and this does threaten to increase my personal expenses in the short term, seemingly in the interest of attempting to create some manufacturing jobs for others longer term. If I am concerned about how that plays out, you can bet millions of other voters are giving it thought as well. Voters that will vote in 2026.
This had better achieve some positive results sellable to the public fairly soon or this could be a political problem all too quickly.

We'll see if anything actually happens. These countries traditionally hate each other due to past atrocities.

FCBlitz said:

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rgvag11 said:

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Japan, South Korea and China agreed on Sunday to continue trilateral economic and trade cooperation to address "emerging challenges," a partnership that has become more crucial than ever as the U.S. trade war shatters the global order.
We will keep discussions for speeding up negotiations for a Trilateral FTA with a view to realizing a free, fair, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial FTA with its own value," they said in a joint statement issued after the meeting.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/03/30/japan-china-south-korea-trade-ministers/
Our two largest trading partners in the East are turning towards China for support. Tariffs are a recipe for losing friends and making our enemies stronger. America in decline.

---

This attempt is probably the most classical case of a sheep bleeping at something they know nothing about.

All of those countries HATE CHINA. If they need alternatives to consider then so be it…..but the idea tariffs are going to harm strategic, shared security interest is LOL funny.

Bless your heart.

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Yeah, this will be interesting. Koreans hate the Japanese, and they both hate the Chinese, and the Chinese hate the Japanese.

Yes, because we all know that Japan and Korea are a replacement for the behemoth American market.

They need our consumers and can not replace us with a couple of island nations.

ts5641 said:

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Of course they hate our tariffs. They've been ripping us off for decades and now the party has ended.

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Can you provide specifics as to how Japan and SK have been "ripping us off for decades"? Or is this comment merely feelz.

SK has extreme tariffs to protect their "gadget" economy (tvs, computers, computer chips, other electronics, etc), & they also tariff US vehicles to promote their own domestic production.

HOWEVER, the U.S. military presence in SK means a crap ton of $$$ infused into their economy, & I guarantee they're not going to rock the apple cart too much given their complete reliance upon the US for military protection from China & to a lesser extent NK (which may seem backwards, but SK's military could annihilate NK in a head to head matchup). However, SK definitely remembers China sent troops to its country to wage war, so I bet any 'trade alliance' between SK, China, & Japan would be paper thin. Also, Japan entered into a Trillion+ trade/ production investment with the US just recently; how much has Japan sent to China? Furthermore, Japan, SK, & VIETNAM are constantly battling China over territorial water claims, as well as conflicts between those 3 & China concerning their maritime economic interests (fishing, transport, etc). None of those 3 will seek to harm relations with the US because while the US is screaming TARIFF, China is actually threatening those 3 with WAR each time one of hot-button issues arises; they know only the US could help protect their maritime interests & movement.

I don't see this as the threat you are making it out to be, but who knows?!?!

It will be quite the irony if Trump drives a bunch of the rest of the world into free trade zones that exclude the US.

We are the richest country and the biggest market and of course everyone wants to sell to us. But there are 7 billionish possible customers outside the US

The United States market is still and will be the economic engine that runs the world. These countries can balk all they want, but they need our markets open to their goods. No other country has a citizenry with anywhere near the disposable income of most Americans. We are in the driver's seat and thankfully we have a president that finally understands it and knows how to leverage it.

rgvag11 said:

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Japan, South Korea and China agreed on Sunday to continue trilateral economic and trade cooperation to address "emerging challenges," a partnership that has become more crucial than ever as the U.S. trade war shatters the global order.
We will keep discussions for speeding up negotiations for a Trilateral FTA with a view to realizing a free, fair, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial FTA with its own value," they said in a joint statement issued after the meeting.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/03/30/japan-china-south-korea-trade-ministers/
Our two largest allies, and our largest trading partners, aside from China, in the Far East, are turning towards China for support. Tariffs are a recipe for losing friends and making our enemies stronger. America in decline.

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South Korea birthrate is so bad they are not worth any agreement.

Doing anything with China is dumb beyond belief

Even if you believe the US has been a global bully since WW2, it's difficult to think China can be trusted at any degree close to the US.

FCBlitz said:

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rgvag11 said:

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Our two largest trading partners in the East are turning towards China for support. Tariffs are a recipe for losing friends and making our enemies stronger. America in decline.

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This attempt is probably the most classical case of a sheep bleeping at something they know nothing about.

All of those countries HATE CHINA. If they need alternatives to consider then so be it…..but the idea tariffs are going to harm strategic, shared security interest is LOL funny.

Bless your heart.

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He doesn't even know that China is the largest US trading partner in the east.

Other countries, including all our major trade partners, have been slapping us with stupid high tariffs for decades to protect their domestic industries. But if we decide to do it to bring back good paying manufacturing jobs to stimulate the middle class and get us off this path of only government job sector growth via unsustainable debt spending, then lefty loses their minds

So yeah they're going to scream and cry that they don't get to keep ripping us off with uneven trade deals but that doesn't mean they're suddenly ready to join BRICS

MouthBQ98 said:

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They're annoyed at the established order of business being disturbed, and losing isome market for production. I'm not concerned about that. I'm concerned I already have a job domestically and this does threaten to increase my personal expenses in the short term, seemingly in the interest of attempting to create some manufacturing jobs for others longer term. If I am concerned about how that plays out, you can bet millions of other voters are giving it thought as well. Voters that will vote in 2026.
This had better achieve some positive results sellable to the public fairly soon or this could be a political problem all too quickly.

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Yes this is correct. Trump needs to make people feel better and quickly before people turn on him. I am already a good amount poorer but I know this is a long term thing. I feel he should have done this by keeping an eye on the market.

Eso si, Que es said:

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Yes, because we all know that Japan and Korea are a replacement for the behemoth American market.

They need our consumers and can not replace us with a couple of island nations.

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We consume, but we don't have the money to pay for stuff. So we go on debt.

Maroon Dawn said:

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Other countries, including all our major trade partners, have been slapping us with stupid high tariffs for decades to protect their domestic industries. But if we decide to do it to bring back good paying manufacturing jobs to stimulate the middle class and get us off this path of only government job sector growth via unsustainable debt spending, then lefty loses their minds

So yeah they're going to scream and cry that they don't get to keep ripping us off with uneven trade deals but that doesn't mean they're suddenly ready to join BRICS

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Not just lefties. It is Ags who claim to be righties too. Just read this board. Many want us to not apply tariffs even though others have which I find shocking and selfish too.

Recent research has shown the empirical evidence for globalization of corporate innovation is very limited, and as a corollary, the market for technologies is shrinking. As a world leader, it is important for America to provide systematic research grants for our scientists. I believe there will always be a need for us to have a well-articulated innovation policy with an emphasis on human resource development.

BTHOB-98 said:

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Recent research has shown the empirical evidence for globalization of corporate innovation is very limited, and as a corollary, the market for technologies is shrinking. As a world leader, it is important for America to provide systematic research grants for our scientists. I believe there will always be a need for us to have a well-articulated innovation policy with an emphasis on human resource development.

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Globalization is just code-word for "make the oligarchs even richer".
We sold our souls in the quest to get cheap junk from China.

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globalization of corporate innovation

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What do you mean here? This is too cryptic to be useful.

ts5641 said:

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Of course they hate our tariffs. They've been ripping us off for decades and now the party has ended.

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Ripping us off? You mean the part where we can buy stuff for cheaper than we can make it ourselves?

MouthBQ98 said:

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They're annoyed at the established order of business being disturbed, and losing isome market for production. I'm not concerned about that. I'm concerned I already have a job domestically and this does threaten to increase my personal expenses in the short term, seemingly in the interest of attempting to create some manufacturing jobs for others longer term. If I am concerned about how that plays out, you can bet millions of other voters are giving it thought as well. Voters that will vote in 2026.
This had better achieve some positive results sellable to the public fairly soon or this could be a political problem all too quickly.

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Oh it'll increase your expenses in the long run too.

rgvag11 said:

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ts5641 said:

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Of course they hate our tariffs. They've been ripping us off for decades and now the party has ended.

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Can you provide specifics as to how Japan and SK have been "ripping us off for decades"? Or is this comment merely feelz.

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A very popular politician said it. Some say the most popular politician ever. So it must be true.

amercer said:

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It will be quite the irony if Trump drives a bunch of the rest of the world into free trade zones that exclude the US.

We are the richest country and the biggest market and of course everyone wants to sell to us. But there are 7 billionish possible customers outside the US

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Outside the US the global median income is about 18,000 per anum.

No. There really isn't 7 billion other consumers. There's the US and a bunch of poor people and Marxist with no meanigful disposable income.

I have a feeling the CEO's of these companies in other countries whose primary market is the United States will put a metric ton of pressure on their government leaders to capitulate to Trump and lower or completely remove their tariffs.

When these companies see their sales numbers start to drop significantly with tariffs I doubt they will want to play the game for long.

However, if Trump is wrong and these companies don't give a **** about their bottom line and laying off their workers because their largest market just closed up to them then yes, Americans will start paying more for items they really want.

I suspect many Americans will forego some purchases. For instance, if TV's double in price I bet a lot of consumers here just stop purchasing them and that will really hurt Japan and South Korea. Yes, there will be some Americans who will continue to buy them and they will be paying considerably more but I bet overall the sales will fall significantly.

We shall see.

We have no response, that was perfect.

So other countries put tarrifs on us good.

We place tarrifs on them bad?

Do i have this right?

Ag in Tiger Country said:

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SK has extreme tariffs to protect their "gadget" economy (tvs, computers, computer chips, other electronics, etc), & they also tariff US vehicles to promote their own domestic production.

HOWEVER, the U.S. military presence in SK means a crap ton of $$$ infused into their economy, & I guarantee they're not going to rock the apple cart too much given their complete reliance upon the US for military protection from China & to a lesser extent NK (which may seem backwards, but SK's military could annihilate NK in a head to head matchup). However, SK definitely remembers China sent troops to its country to wage war, so I bet any 'trade alliance' between SK, China, & Japan would be paper thin. Also, Japan entered into a Trillion+ trade/ production investment with the US just recently; how much has Japan sent to China? Furthermore, Japan, SK, & VIETNAM are constantly battling China over territorial water claims, as well as conflicts between those 3 & China concerning their maritime economic interests (fishing, transport, etc). None of those 3 will seek to harm relations with the US because while the US is screaming TARIFF, China is actually threatening those 3 with WAR each time one of hot-button issues arises; they know only the US could help protect their maritime interests & movement.

I don't see this as the threat you are making it out to be, but who knows?!?!

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I did a tour in Korea in 2016 and was out on the economy a good deal and with the exception of an old mild '90s Trans Am that sat more or less abandoned in the TDC ville, I didn't see another US car any where.

Silent For Too Long said:

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amercer said:

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It will be quite the irony if Trump drives a bunch of the rest of the world into free trade zones that exclude the US.

We are the richest country and the biggest market and of course everyone wants to sell to us. But there are 7 billionish possible customers outside the US

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Outside the US the global median income is about 18,000 per anum.

No. There really isn't 7 billion other consumers. There's the US and a bunch of poor people and Marxist with no meanigful disposable income.

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Yep. More than 5 billion earn under $2/day. There is no consumer market close to the US. We finally have someone who wants to use that to our advantage.

HoustonAg9999 said:

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So other countries put tarrifs on us good.

We place tarrifs on them bad?

Do i have this right?

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Yep. But you need more doomsday like deep recession, bad trade policies, bully pulpit, etc

amercer said:

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It will be quite the irony if Trump drives a bunch of the rest of the world into free trade zones that exclude the US.

We are the richest country and the biggest market and of course everyone wants to sell to us. But there are 7 billionish possible customers outside the US

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Sure.

China will do free trade, not steal IP, not block entry to foreign companies, not dump product, not copy product, etc with all the other countries they make an agreement with now because the US is a big ole meanie!

hahahahahahahahahaha

HoustonAg9999 said:

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So other countries put tarrifs on us good.

We place tarrifs on them bad?

Do i have this right?

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Jeepers says yes and that we need to fight for Bidenomics where we ship all good manufacturing jobs over seas, rely on crappy service jobs only here at home and the only growth industry is government spending