The country’s new president, in office for a little over a month, had just dispatched his senior deputies to Washington to try to work out a trade deal.

Japan and South Korea have until Aug. 1 to agree new trade terms with the U.S., or face 25% “reciprocal” tariffs. The two Asian countries share vulnerabilities that put them in President Trump’s crosshairs,

The U.S.’s closest security allies in Asia, along with six Southeast Asian countries, have been given another three weeks to negotiate trade deals — or face higher tariffs.