ANKARA

China has asked Japan to coordinate efforts against tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, Kyodo News reported on Tuesday.

The request came in a letter from Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang to his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba, delivered by Chinese Ambassador to Tokyo Wu Jianghao, the media outlet reported, citing government sources.

The letter reportedly called for joint opposition to US “protectionism.” However, Japan, a close US ally, is expected to respond cautiously, said the Tokyo-based news agency.

Beijing faces tariffs of up to 245% on exports to the US and has retaliated by raising its own tariffs on American goods to as high as 125%.

Japan is currently in talks with Washington to avoid the 24% tariffs the Trump administration imposed and is considering increasing its tariff-free imports of US-grown rice as part of the negotiations.

Japan’s Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei was the first foreign trade official to meet Trump following the president’s announcement of a 90-day window for all countries except China to finalize new trade arrangements.

A government official said Tokyo might prefer to stay engaged in dialogue and secure benefits from talks, with the added hope that warming ties could lead China to ease its import ban on Japanese seafood.

Beijing introduced the ban in August 2023 after Japan released treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean, a move China strongly opposed.