The United States, Japan, and South Korea have launched a new trilateral economic-security consultation aimed at strengthening cooperation on supply chains, critical technologies, and regional stability, in a coordinated move ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington. The announcement came following a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The three countries pledged to resist economic coercion and non-market policies that they say distort global markets and create harmful industrial overcapacity. They also agreed to enhance a trilateral supply-chain early warning system and expand collaboration on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies. While the joint statement did not explicitly name China, it referenced concerns closely aligned with long-standing complaints by Washington, Tokyo, and Seoul regarding Beijing’s export restrictions on strategic materials and dominance in critical mineral processing.
Alongside economic measures, the officials emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The statement called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues and opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. It also expressed support for Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in appropriate international organizations. This language is expected to draw scrutiny from Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary, and opposes foreign interference.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the trilateral backing, stating that stability in the Taiwan Strait is vital not only for regional security but also for the global economy and supply chain resilience. The joint statement also reaffirmed commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight, lawful commerce, and other lawful uses of the sea in the Indo-Pacific, in accordance with international law.
The trilateral initiative follows heightened tensions between Japan and China after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks last year about the possibility of Japan becoming involved in a hypothetical conflict over Taiwan. China responded with diplomatic protests and targeted export restrictions on Japanese rare earth minerals and other critical supplies, which Japan and its allies view as steps of economic coercion. Japanese officials, with support from Washington, are seeking to diversify supply chains for critical minerals and technologies, although alternatives to Chinese sources are likely to take years to develop.
The timing of the trilateral announcement is notable, arriving just days before Xi’s summit with US President Donald Trump in Washington, where trade, technology, and regional security are expected to be key topics. The United States and China held high-level economic talks over the weekend in New York as they prepared for the Xi-Trump meeting, with ongoing discussions about extending the US-China trade truce beyond its November expiration.
In addition to economic and regional security issues, the three countries reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea while urging Pyongyang to return to dialogue. This follows recent missile tests by North Korea, which experts say involved a new short-range hypersonic weapon capable of evading missile defense systems. Trump has expressed interest in renewing talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but experts warn that diplomatic progress may be challenging.
The trilateral cooperation underscores Washington, Tokyo, and Seoul’s shared concerns about economic coercion, technological security, and stability in East Asia amid ongoing geopolitical tensions with China and North Korea.