Bronx, NY—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement:

“I am concerned with the continued deterioration of relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea. As we have seen recently by the Trump Administration’s use of so-called national security concerns to justify predatory trade measures, when trade actions are not based in genuine national security concerns, they can become deeply divisive and have unintended and far-ranging impacts.

“As Japan has been a stalwart leader in building an integrated global economy, it is disappointing to see that the Japanese government has chosen to retaliate against South Korea using trade actions. And South Korea has shown a similar lack of restraint in applying retaliatory trade measures against Japan. I urge the leadership of both countries to recognize the responsibility that they have in sustaining an open and reciprocal global economic order in Asia.

“In light of the regional security environment, it is more important than ever that Japan and the Republic of Korea navigate their differences in constructive ways, including by maintaining their commitment to the trilateral information sharing agreement between the United States, South Korea and Japan. This agreement is important to U.S. interests and critical to maintaining clear communication between our two allies regarding the security situation in Northeast Asia.”

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