South Korea's acting President says will not join hands with
South Korea's acting President says will not join hands with China, Japan to fight US tariffs
South Korea's Acting President Han Duck-soo has said South Korea will not form a coalition with China and Japan to jointly respond to US tariff measures
SEOUL — South Korea's Acting President Han Duck-soo has said South Korea
will not form a coalition with China and Japan to jointly respond to US tariff
measures, but seeks to resolve related issues through negotiations with
Washington.
Han made the remark in a CNN interview released on
Tuesday, a day before the Trump administration's 25 per cent "reciprocal
tariff" for South Korea took effect -- a measure that is feared to hit
hard the Asian country's export-driven economy.
"I don't think that kind of fighting back will
improve the situation dramatically," Han was quoted as saying by the news
channel when asked if Seoul would work together with Japan or China to fight
the US tariffs.
The interview was released shortly after Han spoke with
Trump in the allies' first leader-to-leader phone conversation since Trump took
office in January. Han has taken the mantle as acting President as South Korean
President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached over his short-lived martial law
imposition in December and removed from office last week.
As Trump has announced duties on what his administration
called "worst offenders," including key US allies and partners, some
observers have raised the possibility of affected countries banding together
with China to fend off Trump's escalating tariff salvo, Yonhap news agency
reported.
Trump's tariff pressure has been weighing heavily on
Asian economies as he announced a minimum 10 per cent "baseline"
tariff and reciprocal tariffs last week following the rollout of 25 per cent
tariffs on steel and aluminum imports as well as on imports of foreign
vehicles. His administration is also looking to place tariffs on
semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and other items.
Trump has been using tariffs to increase federal
government revenue, pare down America's trade deficits, draw in foreign
investments and boost domestic manufacturing despite concerns that tariffs
could lead to higher inflation and slower economic growth.
Denouncing the tariff plans, US Senator Brian Schatz
(D-Hawaii) brought up the recent trilateral meeting among the Trade Ministers
of South Korea, Japan and China, calling the picture of the three "the
most shocking image" that possibly indicates the world is "uniting
against" America.
While describing the newly announced levies as "a
pity", Han said that South Korea would "negotiate in a cool way"
with Washington to work out a solution based on the two countries' "very
strong alliance," according to CNN.
Han said that "not everything will be solved in a
day or two," expressing optimism that a resolution can be reached.
"I think we should, in a very cool way, assess what
this kind of 25 per cent means for us, and we should, in a very cool way,
negotiate with them," he was quoted as saying.
Seoul has been making all-out efforts to address the
tariff hike, with top trade officials flying to Washington for talks with the
Trump administration to address the situation.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Han reaffirmed Seoul's
commitment to working with Washington.
"There are countries that are choosing the hard-line
response with retaliatory tariffs, but at difficult times like this, I believe
the more sensible solution is to upgrade the South Korea-US alliance to make it
stronger as a security alliance and an economic alliance," he wrote.
"The best way to solve a problem is to calmly
communicate with the other party and persistently seek a path guaranteeing the
interests of both sides."
