Rubio Courts Japan, South Korea Before Trump-Xi Summit — SkimNews
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- Marco Rubio met South Korean FM Cho Hyun and Japanese FM Toshimitsu Motegi at a New York hotel on Monday, posing for photos but taking no questions from reporters ahead of Trump's Thursday summit with Xi Jinping.
- Analysts said US allies are anxious Trump could offer Xi concessions on Taiwan and trade, warning that even modest reductions in trade barriers for Beijing would erode Japanese and South Korean competitiveness.
- Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi, who angered Beijing last year by saying Tokyo could be drawn into a conflict over Taiwan, has been trying to get Trump's ear before the Xi meeting, according to Japanese government sources.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is seeking a meeting with Trump during the UN General Assembly, as Seoul and Washington negotiate details of a $350 billion South Korean investment package under last year's trade deal.
- A South Korean opposition lawmaker called for parliamentary scrutiny of that $350 billion package on Monday, warning that energy project negotiations could leave South Korea carrying disproportionate financial risks.
Why it matters: Japan and South Korea's economic competitiveness versus China is directly exposed to whatever Trump offers Xi on Thursday — any Taiwan softening or tariff relief for Beijing would undercut Tokyo and Seoul. The $350 billion Korean investment package is already generating domestic political friction in Seoul, meaning the two allies arrive at UN week juggling both security and economic anxieties about the summit.
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