U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is visiting Tokyo and Seoul this week to coordinate policy ahead of a summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping.
These meetings are critical as the U.S. seeks to align its economic and diplomatic strategies with key regional allies before the two leaders meet in Beijing. The coordination effort focuses on creating a unified front on trade and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region.
Bessent said on May 11 [2] that he was looking forward to meeting with Japanese and Korean partners. The visit follows a period of high-level diplomatic preparation for the upcoming summit, which is scheduled to take place this Thursday and Friday [3].
A primary objective of the coordination involves regional stability and energy security. On May 4 [1], Bessent urged China to increase its diplomatic pressure on Iran. Specifically, he said, "China must step up its diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz" [1].
The Treasury Secretary is using these stops in Japan and South Korea to ensure that the U.S. approach to China is supported by its closest partners in Asia. While the exact sequence of the visits varies by report, Bessent is expected to engage with officials in both capitals before the presidential meetings begin [2].
The summit in Beijing will address several high-stakes issues, including trade relations, and the ongoing tensions regarding the Strait of Hormuz. By securing alignment in Tokyo and Seoul first, the U.S. aims to maximize its leverage during negotiations with President Xi [1].
“"China must step up its diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz"”
The coordination with Japan and South Korea suggests that the U.S. is prioritizing a multilateral approach to pressure China on global security issues, particularly regarding Iran's influence over the Strait of Hormuz. By aligning with regional allies before the Beijing summit, the U.S. Treasury is attempting to link economic diplomacy with geopolitical stability to ensure that trade negotiations are not decoupled from security concerns.
