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.

The strength of these alliances depends on whether Trump views Tokyo and Seoul as bulwarks against China’s rise or vassals that can be extorted for financial gain.

South Korea’s interim leadership was thrown into emergency mode to protect the export-reliant economy from a trade crisis after the Trump administration announced one of the worst tariff rates to hit a US security ally.